The Demise of Malcolm Turnbull, The Series, Medium, 27 August, 2018.
This is the series which begins just days before the excruciating fall of Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull. The story ends with him disgraced, at war with his own Party and dismissed by the public; in virtual exile inside inside his own wealth, destroyed by his own ambition. It is a Shakespearean yarn of the lust for power, played out in the Antipodes.
The Quagmire Collapses
Diabolical polling ensures that.
But how Malcolm Turnbull’s prime ministership devolved to the current disaster is a complicated yarn, like the man himself.
Mr Harbourside Mansion
“Mr Harbourside Mansion” was a pejorative term coined by critics within Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull’s own party.
The insult stuck. His wealth which has been his undoing. The $50 million plus mansion Turnbull calls home may be a source of pride and status within his Rich as Croesus milieu, but did nothing to engender populist appeal.
From Out of the Maelstrom
At the centre of the maelstrom which has overtaken Australian politics this weekend lies one man: the departing Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull.
Disliked by the public, disliked by his own party, disliked by the public service, Australia’s 29th Prime Minister is mortally wounded. The media hunt in packs, and are hunting him.
The Many Lows of Malcolm Turnbull’s Prime Ministership
The frenetic efforts of a failing Prime Minister have curled into a frustrated ball of fury. And arguably the worst government in Australian history faces electoral wipeout. The slow motion trainwreck of Malcolm Turnbull’s leadership has been played out on television screens and in newspaper headlines. He had been there since 2015.
War Crimes: The Terrible Legacy of Malcolm Turnbull
America’s Wars, Australia’s hypocrisy. Malcolm Turnbull’s Prime Ministership in its death throes, it is time to look back across the wasteland of his leadership. In the backrooms the knives are fully drawn and in their imaginations his attackers are already dancing over pools of blood.
Betraying the Future: The Worst Internet in the World
In the petri dish of Australian politics, the Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull thrashes in a blood soaked sea. The first leadership spill, on Tuesday 21st August, 2018, precipitated by the powerful Minister for Home Affairs Peter Dutton, has left Turnbull mortally wounded. The first harpoon has hit the flank.
Australia’s Assault on Freedom Of Speech
“Cry Havoc! And let slip the dogs of war.” The word “crisis” is bandied about a lot in discussing Australian politics right this minute. Nothing the present batch of oligarchs could do to manipulate, suppress or control the media has worked. Except when it comes down to reporting on open warfare.
We Come Not to Praise But to Bury
Malcolm Turnbull’s Day of Reckoning has arrived. He could have left with dignity ten days ago; doctors advice, spend more time with his grandchildren. But this hapless Prime Minister cannot even manage his own political death. A very bad loser, he may well end up taking down the entire government.
Coup Capital of the World: Australia
In the end, the oligarchs who seize power are judged not by the way they rule but the way they fall. And there was nothing pretty about the brutal demise of Malcolm Turnbull, Australia’s 39th Prime Minister and arguably the country’s worst. This was a government which mismanaged everything. Literally everything. The man left behind a broken political party heading to defeat.
John Stapleton worked as a journalist on The Sydney Morning Herald and The Australian for more than 20 years. A collection of his journalism is being constructed here.
