Abbott doesn’t set out to break the law. That’s not the point. But when the law stands between him and a quick win, he shows contempt for its values, its customs and the part they play in national life.
Some months ago there was an ugly confrontation between Philip Ruddock and the PM. It ended in acrimony, with a prime ministerial “get fucked” adding colour.
What Credlin and Abbott must know is that the same agitators who precipitated last Monday’s spill motion have a plan to strike again. This time the performance of Hockey will be the trigger.
It is not hard to identify those who cross the line from journalist to polemicist in exchange for being put, as Paul Keating used to call it, on the story “drip”.
If the court finds that constitutionally it is not possible to prevent the liquor, gambling, tobacco and property interests from cashing up their political favourites, then vast chunks of ICAC’s work will collapse.
Honestly, does anyone see Loughnane bowling into the PMO and getting the staffer most accountable for the prime minister’s performance, namely his spouse, sacked?
Abbott says he’s looking for answers on how the hostage taker slipped below the radar. Just as urgent politically is to find an answer to the toxicity poisoning his government at the top.
Just as stories of the Rudd office’s dysfunction began seeping into the media for months before he was brought down, persistent reports are beginning to appear about the Abbott office.