Dear conservatives: yes, Malcolm Turnbull is one of us

[Violet_Crumble]

Malcolm is attacked by conservatives for being too Wentworth, too trendy, too ABC. But he truly is part of the tribe, and should be commended for resisting some of the right's own frolics

One quality of the true conservative is a resolute desire to never be popular or, worse, fashionable. Indeed, anything but fashionable. As defenders of eternal truths, from the reality of God and final judgment, to the inadvisibility of wearing brown shoes with a dark suit, we conservatives know that to be popular in the current moment is to be untrue to eternity.

Malcolm Turnbull, the former Liberal leader and member for Wentworth, often takes the popular (and unsound) position on many conservative issues: he supported Bill Henson's right to engage in his perverted "art" form, and despite being a Catholic convert is in favour of the redefinition of marriage. Malcolm eulogises Neville Wran, for whose Labor administration we, in part, have ICAC, and takes ABC boss Mark Scott seriously.

Occasionally Malcolm – and a Malcolm he is, not the reductive "Turnbull" of journalism – is put in the right's doghouse for these errors. This week, Andrew Bolt and Cory Bernardi are the latest to take Malcolm to task for, among other things, defending the ABC and for his otherwise lukewarm public support of Abbott government policies. Their critique of Malcolm is not unique. Malcolm is seen as too Wentworth, too trendy, too ABC, too rich, too ready to break bread with Wrans and Whitlams, too suspect to be ever be "one of us".

Despite all this, I have a message for my fellow conservatives: Malcolm Turnbull is "one of us".

We should fairly examine Malcolm himself. He epitomises what the Australian politician from "our side" should be. He overcame a childhood and traumas that would have broken weaker vessels, to go on to university honours and then to become an incredibly successful lawyer, investment banker and investor. Malcolm's wealth, often scoffed at by both old money and the newly envious, was accumulated by his own hard work and by prodigious risk-taking.

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/jun/03/dear-conservatives-yes-malcolm-turnbull-is-one-of-us

I've heard both Turnbull and Hockey described in the past as small-l Liberals, or 'wets'. If Hockey's an example of what happens to a moderate when they get a bit of power, I'm wondering if my faith in Turnbull (sorry but he's the only right-wing politician I can stand and wish he'd switch to the Labor Party) is a bit too trusting and he might go back if he got some power as well...

[Matilda]

1. I've heard that Malcolm planned to join the ALP

when he decided to enter politics, but was persuaded by Lucy to join the Libs instead.

This came from Bob Ellis, who says he was sitting in their kitchen when they had the conversation. I don't have any time for Ellis, but if he really was there, I guess we can accept its truth. And it does make sense, given Malcolm's intelligence and moderate views. Pity he seems to have sold his soul for a ministerial portfolio.

Pundits say his own party detests him, yet Abbott won the leadership by only one vote. And yes, I do remember that Hockey supported him over climate change, so Hockey's done a complete about-face, as has wimpy little Hunt.

Malcolm is too intelligent not to know that Coalition broadband policy is nuts, and I wonder what would happen if he had the guts to resign his portfolio and go to the backbench? Could he do a Keating and force a leadership spill? The evidence for climate change is becoming obvious to all but the most extreme, and there must be some backbenchers who have doubts about Abbott's denial policy.

The only good thing about Abbott's leadership is that he's making it easier for Labor to come back in 2016, but the thought of the damage he can do in the meantime is terrifying. But if it was to be Turnbull vs Shorten, I wouldn't be at all certain how it would play out.