Nelson sinking fast

April 15, 2008, 10:00am,  117 views

Brendan Nelson is floundering faster than his famous namesake Horatio when he couldn’t find the French fleet in the Mediterranean on its way to Egypt. Horatio recovered from that setback to be a hero of the Napoleonic Wars, but it’s hard to see B Nelson staging a similar revival.

A glowing endorsement from former Foreign Minister Alexander Downer is really the kiss of death. Downer is about as popular in the Liberal Party today as a redback on the toilet seat.

The key player in the current instability is former Health Minister Tony Abbott. When he didn’t have the numbers in the leadership ballot he delivered support to Nelson over Malcolm Turnbull.

Abbott may still have ambitions, in which case the current instability would suit his purposes. The Liberal leadership is a poison chalice just now. Nobody cares and nobody is listening. As Nelson inadvertently quipped yesterday: “I’m going nowhere.”

For Abbott or Turnbull the timing of a coup will be all important. There is no point becoming leader now; there needs to be some momentum towards the Coalition, but not so much that Nelson looks able to exploit it.