It wasn’t even close. No one will be surprised to learn that loyalty demanded is weak compared to loyalty earned.
After months of defiance, defection, and disastrous polls, Listening Ley has been sent to the back benches having failed to do anything except oversee two divisions of the Coalition.
The Left will no doubt spend the next week obsessing about the demise of ‘the first female leader of the Liberals’, but the box-ticking exercise to falsely modernise the Liberal Party began with a sour taste. The voters who hated Ley’s appointment most? Women.
Following the vote, which saw Angus Taylor victorious 34-17, the Liberal Party addressed the media and also confirmed that Senator Jane Hume had been appointed as Deputy.
The Liberal Party returned from its announcement to correct the record after originally declaring the vote at 33-17… Violi did so with a grin and a chuckle.
I made the mistake of watching the ABC livestream which falsely claimed Ley represented ‘centre’, something conservatives do not believe. The moderate faction has long been accused of abandoning conservative politics and shuffling a long way to the Left to shelter under the wing of Labor.
It is hoped that through the election of Angus Taylor, the Liberal Party will move away from the Left and shift right back toward the actual centre where One Nation is currently building its nest. Attempting to shift Pauline Hanson off this post will be extremely difficult.
Let’s remember that the Liberal Party has spent the last two weeks calling One Nation ‘fringe’ and a ‘protest party’ and yet Pauline Hanson’s figures in the polls effectively deposed Sussan Ley and forced the leadership spill, giving her more power than the moderate faction. Something I find hilarious. Maybe it’ll force a little humility on the faction war chiefs, or at least some well-earned humiliation.
Returning to the corridor procession…
Andrew Hastie emerged from the vote with Jonathon Duniam on his shoulder and Alex Antic trailing behind. The trio walked the bland corridor together toward the press before Alex peeled off and went his own way.
The whole ‘who will walk out next and in what order’ was like a very dull wedding party, with Tim Wilson moving to leave before swiftly retreating to laughter. He then did his little walk looking red and bashful before advertising the agricultural show instead of answering the question he was actually asked about the leadership. Wilson then went back up the corridor toward Sharma, who left silently, as did most of the pack who made a run for it using the safety of numbers to dodge the press.
Angus Taylor lurked like a shark at the back, emerging before crossing to the other side of the corridor and vanishing.
‘There he goes…’ lamented a reporter. ‘He’s in his office.’
Deposed Deputy Leader, Ted O’Brien said, ‘Hey guys!’ looking weirdly cheerful. ‘I’ll have more to say later.’ Then he was gone.
Claire Chandler confirmed that she was happy with the result.
Then it was time for Sussan Ley. Having walked into the leadership in a deliberate shade of symbolic pink, flanked by other pink-clad women, today she chose the white of a bride left at the altar by her party. They will not be taking her to the election.
She smiled but said nothing as her close support group all turned down the corridor together.
Tim Wilson took a second pass behind Ms Ley. ‘Again…?’ noted a reporter, perplexed.
Jane Hume, the new opposition deputy, ducked into Taylor’s office while another group made a break for the cameras.
Then Chief Opposition Whip Aaron Violi had his third go at announcing the votes. ‘The spill motion was 33-17 with 1 informal vote. The final vote was 34 to Angus Taylor. 17 to Sussan Ley. Thank you, very much.’
I thought I heard someone mutter ‘bro…’ in the background, but it could have been my mind filling in the subtext.
And onto the make-or-break press conference, held outside in a slightly less visually depressing part of our Parliament.
Dan Tehan was asked on the ABC if this was just a cosmetic change. ‘No. No. No.’ And yet under further questioning, he could not detail a single point, policy, or value that will change under an Angus Taylor leadership. ‘I have never based anything on polls,’ said Tehan. Bookmark that.
Stay tuned.
