Turnbull on QA

[Black Orchid]

MALCOLM Turnbull insisted he wasn’t “bitter” or “resentful” about the coup that ended his leadership — then proceeded to repeatedly slam the plotters.

The former prime minister’s hotly anticipated appearance on Q&A gave him a platform to name and shame the people who had engineered his downfall.

He took that chance from the very first question, which asked why he was no longer prime minister.

“The only people that can answer that are the people that engineered the coup — people like Peter Dutton and Tony Abbott and Greg Hunt and Mathias Cormann — the people who voted for the spill,” Mr Turnbull said.

“Most of them are well known. There are no bones about who they are. They have to answer that question. I can’t answer it. From my own point of view, I described it at the time as madness.”

In addition to the men above, Mr Turnbull named Mitch Fifield, Michaelia Cash, Steve Ciobo, Michael Keenan and Angus Taylor as other senior members of the party who had plotted against him.

“It really never occurred to me that senior members of the government, particularly people with such solemn responsibilities — you know, Peter Dutton’s the Home Affairs Minister, responsible for Australia’s national security, for heaven’s sake,” he said.

“It never occurred to me that those people would act in a way that was going to be so damaging both to the government, to the party and, frankly, to the nation.”

Mr Turnbull blasted them for failing to articulate why they had removed him.

“People have got to be adults and be accountable,” he said.

“They have to stand up and be prepared to say why they do things, why they vote for things. And so the people who chose to act in what I thought was madness, a very self-destructive way, to blow up the government, to bring my prime ministership to an end, they need to explain why they did it, and none of them have.”

In virtually the same breath, Mr Turnbull said he had moved on.

“I’m not miserable or bitter or resentful at all, I’m joyful that I had the opportunity to take on that role and do as much as I did in the time that I had.”

Mr Turnbull said the week of leadership chaos that eventually cost him his job took him completely by surprise.

“I did not anticipate that people, particularly cabinet ministers, would act so self-destructively,” he told the audience.

“It was so obvious that it was going to be destructive. It was so obvious that there was not going to be any upside to it.”

>snip<

One questioner reminded Mr Turnbull he himself had engaged in more than his fair share of leadership plotting, and had challenged both Brendan Nelson and Tony Abbott.

He countered that he had a clear rationale each time.

“I think the move to remove me in August was crazy. I think it was self-destructive, no one’s explained it, it was pointless.

“Scott Morrison can’t explain it, he’s the new prime minister. I’m the outgoing prime minister and I can’t explain it.

“With Tony Abbott I set out exactly why I sought to challenge him, I explained what my reasons were very openly, laid out my agenda, won the ballot. It was very warmly welcomed by the Australian people. We won the next election and we got a lot done.”

Mr Jones jumped in to say Mr Dutton “would argue” he had his own rationale for challenging Mr Turnbull.

“You can say he would argue, but he hasn’t. You say he would. He hasn’t,” Mr Turnbull shot back.

“He said he wanted to take the GST off power prices. That might be a justification for bringing a submission to cabinet. It’s hardly a justification for overthrowing the government.”

More at ... https://www.news.com.au/entertainment/t ... 72e8c95673

Pompous, pumped up, self important, arrogant jerk he is. I never liked him. Not ever.

[brian ross]

I liked his performance. Much better than Tone Rabbit's. He spoke well and he made his points. Pity the Tory party decided he was too Liberal for the Liberal Party. So much for the Tories being better than the ALP, hey?

[Rorschach]

Whom? Bwian? Whom?

Why is it that Tony Abbott was never afforded a free hour on the ABC after Turnbull stabbed him in the back? Surely the ABC are not politically biased

Turnbull is a liar and a waste of space he knows full well why he was deposed and as usual he brought it all on himself.

Gee what was up with Tony Jones, no interjections just nodding. No hard questions... Not that he's biased either right?

As for Turnbull, you and those "Liberal" lies bwian. Menzies would be turning in his grave if he knew what Turnbull has done over the years. No use lying about that one bwian.

[Valkie]

Honestly

Politics in Australia has hit new lows

I thought it could get no lower with howard the coward who made lying an artform.
He could not tell the truth if his worthless life was on the line.......perhaps he could, he is a coward after all.

But the bar keeps getting set lower and lower.
It has not hit a new low, lower than an earthworms belly.

[Black Orchid]

Turnbull backflips on renewables. Surprise surprise!

In his first major media appearance since being ousted as Prime Minister and leader of the Liberal Party, Turnbull answered audience questions on ABC TV’s Q&A program – including one on energy from tech billionaire and founder of the new Fair Dinkum Power brand and movement, Mike Cannon-Brookes:

“Our vision is that Australia can get to 100 per cent renewables and beyond, and that this transition… is not only good for the planet, it presents one of the greatest economic opportunities for our country,” Cannon Brookes said. “So my question to you is, what’s your advice to get politicians on board with our vision? And will you join us?”

Turnbull – after some prevarication – conceded that running Australia on 100 per cent renewable energy generation was “theoretically” achievable, with the right mix of generation, storage and supporting technology.

This is something he has acknowledge before, when speaking for instance at the launch of the BZE 100 per cent renewable energy plan when he was languishing on the Coalition back-bench.

As prime minister, of course, he seized on the blackout in South Australia to demonise renewables and has been dismissing the federal and state renewable targets from Labor as “reckless”.

But now he’s back on board with 100 per cent renewables, and it doesn’t seem quite so reckless.

“We all know where our energy future lies. It lies with renewable energy, backed up with storage, whether it is batteries or pumped hydro,” Turnbull said.

“The point Mike makes about our renewable endowment is absolutely right… “We are in a position, with this enormous solar endowment, where we will have a huge amount of energy opportunities.”

“It is the economics is driving (this). There is no question. If you wanted to build a new dispatchable power station, if you… wanted to deliver 1000MW of power continuously… I do not believe that you would build, today, a coal-fired power station.

“Regardless of issues about climate policy and carbon risk and all those things, putting those to one side, because the renewable generators are so cheap, as long as you’ve got the ability to back it up, you can deliver that dispatchable power.…”

This is no revelation to RenewEconomy readers, of course, but is interesting to hear coming from a man who for the past few years appeared to have traded in his keen understanding of clean energy technology and economics – and regard for climate science – for a shot at Conservative leadership.

That trade saw a man who, as Giles Parkinson wrote in March last year “knows a thing or two about energy policy and climate change” – and who has invested in solar and battery storage for his own home – emerge as prosecutor in chief in the push for new coal over wind and solar. It even saw him, as the Tweet below points out, undermine renewable energy in the name of partisan politics.

https://reneweconomy.com.au/malcolm-tur ... rgy-91678/

[Rorschach]

MIKE IS CLUELESS he should stick to working at his IT job.

[LEFTWINGER supreme]

We all know he was dumped because of poor polling, how long before slomo gets the judo chop given his results are even worse than damp squibs?

[cods]

Scotty gave a very moving speech this morning at the Remembrance Service.......he speaks v ery well...

the whole thing was very moving the Last POst sends chills through me....

its time to give Morrison a fair go....your guys like a vulture sitting in the tree licking his lips....I wonder whos wife hes shagging this week..

[Rorschach]

We all know he was dumped because of poor polling, how long before slomo gets the judo chop given his results are even worse than damp squibs?

He was dumped for lots of reasons goober... one being people like you like him.

[Neferti]

I just wish that Malcolm would shut the fuck up. I'm sick of hearing about him. His son needs to shut up as well.