CLANCY OVERELL | Editor | CONTACT
For the last 3 years they have spent in Opposition, the Liberals have worked tirelessly to deodorise themselves from the stench of Scotty From Marketing.
It seemed like a smart thing to do after a landslide election loss, but was it the right thing to do?
The new leader, Peter Dutton, had attempted to rebrand the party as right-wing bastion of common sense in the post-pandemic, and for three years the Australian media did nothing but comment on how well he was doing.
This momentum peaked late last year, after the Prime Minister bought a house that costs more than the average first home buyer could afford.
When it was also revealed that Albanese sometimes flies business class, it looked like Peter Dutton might become the next Prime Minister.
However, that was the high water mark for a Federal Opposition who has experienced a significant fall from grace in the 6 months since. The lowest point being today’s announcement that Peter Dutton is scrapping his plans to gut the public service and force working mums back into the office.
Peter Dutton’s popularity has plummeted since Cyclone Alfred, after he fled North Brisbane to spend an evening at a billionaire’s lavish Sydney Harbourside mansion while the rest of his electorate prepared for a devastating weather event.
There’s also the accusations of interesting share purchases during his time as a Liberal frontbencher during the GFC bail outs. His party also lost a bit of shine in after it was revealed that they had dedicated months spreading dangerous misinformation about a non-existent terrorist plot.
With Coalition MPs, senators and staffers now leaking against Dutton like crazy, it seems the party is in the midst of an existential crisis.
Was the Scotty era really that bad? Sure they lost about 20 seats in 2022, but they were still in the fight.
Is Dutton going to net a worse result in 2025?
Liberal Party insiders say that desperate times call for desperate measures. They need to save this campaign by enlisting the only man capable of turning it all around by May 3.
The former Member for Cronulla is being urged to come out of retirement to help save them. They need him out there bulldozering kids on soccer ovals in Tasmania, and eating dagwood dogs at the Easter show.
They need a miracle. And Scotty from Marketing has always believed in miracles.
