Folly of leadership ‘revolving door’ HAYDON MANNING20 Mar, 2014 03:30 AM Print Increase Text Size Decrease Text Size Comments 0 The Liberals may be paying the price for changing leaders a year out from an election, with a hung parliament looking likely. The Liberals may be paying the price for changing leaders a year out from an election, with a hung parliament looking likely. RELATED Ag major priority on Brock’s wish list Laura ag bureau marks 100 years Hay forum ‘shares’ a point Poll: An uncertain result in the state election has left two Independents with the power to help decide who governs SA - will this be an advantage for rural SA? LATEST Slaughter sets cracking pace Soil carbon scheme may be blind hope Comedy the new anti-cruelty weapon Water traders to shed ASIC scrutiny SA Livestock Exchange calf report - Mar 17 Mid North event tackles plant stress MINORITY government beckons and that was not something I reckoned on, but on quiet reflection I am not so surprised. Nor is it surprising to hear Liberal Party MPs and Prime Minister Abbott mount the case that the kingmaker Independents, Geoff Brock and Bob Such, should respect the will of the people and back Mr Marshall to be our next Premier. They have a point given that the Liberals have, once again, comprehensively won on both the primary and the two party preferred vote count. In other states they would probably be forming government but ultimately the Liberals really only have themselves to blame. Changing leaders a year out from polling was indicative of a party deeply uncertain of itself. I hold the view that voters pretty much get it right at state and national elections and while I expected a clear cut Liberal win the result is no great surprise if we consider a bit of history as our guide. This history simply points to the folly of the leadership revolving door syndrome. The last time we elected a minority Parliament in SA was 2002 when voters found the largely unknown, Rob Kerin, suddenly the Premier. Five months from polling day Kerin had replaced Premier Olsen who resigned over misleading the Parliament. Sure Olsens demise was not directly Liberal MPs fault but that is hardly the point with a campaign to fight. Swinging voters, while not warming to Rann led Labor, knew the Liberal government was deeply divided and, in such circumstances, a hung parliament was a logical outcome. Since 2006 the Liberals changed leaders four times and had any number of leadership challenges. In early 2013 Steven Marshall became leader, replacing Isobel Redmond. Her parliamentary colleagues had become unnecessarily spooked by one bad Newspoll and, aided by some reprehensible print media reporting, they actively undermined her leadership. Worn down by constant reports of Liberal sources say these never named persons rejoiced, no doubt, when Redmond quit, thoroughly fed up with her party.
Posted on: Wed, 19 Mar 2014 21:38:16 +0000
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