Andrew's View
Andrew's View is a place where I get to express my feelings, views and opinions on various issues.
Andrew's View Index - Liberal Leadership – Secret Deals
| Liberal Leadership – Secret Deals | Australia | 12/07/2006 |
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Claims of secret leadership deals have once again rocked the Liberal Party. Costello insists that Howard agreed to hand over the leadership while Howard maintains that no deal was made.
So who is telling the truth? They probably both are – each from their own point of view. There was probably a discussion where, at the time, Howard indicated that he would remain in leadership for around two terms and then Costello would likely succeed him in leadership. That was probably his intention at the time.
But things change. No one knows what the future will bring. People’s ambitions and plans change.
But no matter what was said years ago, Howard got it right when he said that the leadership wasn’t up to him or Costello. It is up to the party. That makes any "deal" invalid. Howard will remain the party’s leader until he steps down or someone successfully challenges the leadership. Costello would only become leader if that was what the party wanted – irrespective of Howard’s wishes.
I think Costello feels "cheated" because he believed he’d be in leadership long before now. As such, he has become power-hungry and is attempting to push Howard out in order to get the top spot. Unfortunately the way he’s going about it isn’t winning any friends – especially not the Australian public.
So Mr Costello, it might be taking a bit longer than you’d hoped, but if you really want a chance at the leadership, wait your turn! If you’re patient, you’ll get to be PM. After all, who would vote for Kim Beazley!
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