Reports are in that Angus Taylor will be the solo challenger to Sussan Ley’s leadership after Andrew Hastie tapped out.

‘I’ve previously stated that I would welcome the opportunity to serve my party and our country as leader of the Liberal Party.

‘But, having consulted with colleagues over the past week, and respecting their honest feedback to me, it is clear that I do not have the support needed to become leader of the Liberal Party.

‘On this basis, I wish to make it clear I will not be contesting the leadership of the Liberal Party.’

Hastie previously said that he had sought (and been given) permission by his wife to consider a leadership bid.

Hastie, Taylor, and a group of core Liberals met in Melbourne a few days ago without a decision. Since then, it seems that Taylor has been picked by the conservative flank as the safest option to roll the first female leader who was brought in to ‘modernise’ the movement.

Angus Taylor has the benefit of being absent from the controversial hate speech and gun buyback laws which are already backfiring on the wider Australian community.

Hastie attracted criticism from his supporters after he flipped his vote.

Taylor, who was away on holiday at the time of the vote, did not appear to comment directly on the vote or Cabinet Solidarity (that we could see) which resulted in a Coalition split. There is a transcript on his website from late December that discusses the possibility of these new laws, but if Taylor wishes to be leader, it would be helpful for him to come out and clarify his position on the most controversial laws passed in a hundred years.

He will also have to grapple with the statement released by the Liberals praising themselves for ‘fixing Labor’s failed laws’ and defending ‘freedom of thought, freedom of worship, and freedom of speech’ when the first visa cancelled by Labor was for a Jewish man. Threats are also being thrown around, including in the direction of a former Prime Minister, which makes this look and sound like 18C 2.0.

What Taylor has made clear is his position on the need for cultural integration, national pride, a crackdown on Islamic hate preachers and radicalisation, and a return to honouring our Australian flag.

From what we can gather, it appears Taylor is of a more traditional conservative mindset than Hastie. Whether this is good or bad for his election prospects (if we survive Labor’s term) is an open question. Perhaps he can straddle the gap between generations.

Hastie has been making headway with social media. Taylor will have to try harder because this is where all the young people are. At the moment, the only politicians talking to those under 40 are Labor, the Greens, and One Nation.

Dominating old media platforms and radio networks is a non-starter for the Coalition.

Statistically, those under 35 do not own traditional TVs (many don’t even have laptops), they listen to podcasts not radio, they watch YouTubers instead of cable, and they get their news updates from social media. Being on digital platforms is not enough, the style of delivery has to change too. Trump mastered it with MAGA, but he had a lot of help.

Labor and the Greens have been allowed to infest the education system and whisper in the minds of young people from pre-school to university meaning that by the time they are old enough to vote, the political game is heavily tilted to one side. For the Coalition (if they reform) to counteract the expected Green Wave on its way with Gen Z they absolutely must enter the 21st Century.

The digital world is the natural forum of free speech, and so far the Liberals have been extremely hostile to it. There is more of this legislation on the way that first entered the scene under Morrison.

Hastie and Taylor are the last two electable blue ribbons in the Lower House. Two chances. Two goes to get it right before the Liberal Party collapses under the sodden weight of moderate rot.

Sussan Ley beat Angus Taylor last time they went head-to-head and immediately announced that ‘no policies have been adopted or walked away from at this time’. She put all her effort into treading water, listening, and stepping back from the culture wars.

Taylor cannot do this.

We wish him the best of luck if the leadership battle goes ahead next week. Who knows, maybe the moderates still have the numbers and this is all wishful thinking, or perhaps the One Nation polls have scared the crap out of everyone and they will vote for survival.

What do you think, is Taylor the right choice for a future leader?

Either way, we can expect the Nationals to reattach themselves shortly.