Flailing Opposition Equals Failing Opposition

December 31, 2011 in Rants & Raves
Tags: accountability, Liberal Party, Liberals, personal opinion, politics, public policy, Tony Abbott

The federal Opposition under Tony Abbott has become incapable of pitching anything other than a negative position. Remarkably even the Party’s most senior members seem to fail to understand the different between revenue and expenditure when explaining their alternative budget.

Even though Gillard’s Labor Government appears to be taking a hammering in the polls, when you get on the street and talk to people it doesn’t sound like the Liberals are really all that more popular. And it comes down to the leadership of Abbott, Bishop and Hockey with the likes of Andrew Robb becoming as unreliable and incapable of delivering a coherent and rational argument in the last couple of months.

There has been no effort put into the development of policies. Time and again questions about policies in crucial areas of public concern are answered with a well-worn phrase about them being put out before the next election. However the leader (even some of loose canons) are deciding policies on-the-go with greater instances of confusion about what does or doesn’t constitute party policy; consider Joyce and Briggs contradicted each other on the Murray-Darling Basin.

The Nationals in all of this are no-where to be seen. They are now completely at odds with the communities they’re meant to represent, and continue to be plagued with questions about their ongoing relevancy in the future political landscape. Warren Truss appears to be absent from key coalition debates and fails to have enough influence to make sure the Nationals are capable of maintaining their façade of being a separate party.

Whether this is a function of a dwindling policy base or a deliberate strategy, it appears the lack of alternatives is no longer working for the Australian electorate.

Tony Abbott, having spent the last year saying no, will undoubtedly erode whatever support he once had if he continues to pursue this tact. This single political tactic will only last so long; it’s not the silver bullet Tony Abbott.

If the Coalition to continues to fail to articulate policy alternatives, it will indicate a flailing Opposition and more importantly a failing Opposition.