When will Peter Costello resign? This afternoon’s press stories make this necessary, but difficult for him to achieve with dignity or credibility. You cannot effectively say that the Prime Minister lied, as Costello does in this report and this one, and stay in your job as 2-I-C. At any rate, not if you’ve got it in you to be boss yourself one day.
The Costello revelations look to have been planned. There’s been a slow build-up: a jaunt to The Solomon’s to bolster his claim on statesmanship, and comments on federal state relations to prove his reformist domestic credentials; Ian McLachlan’s left-field revelations; and now, after 24 hours of tease, Costello’s confirmation of their details. All of this in the winter recess when politicians don’t have parliamentary business to worry them.
But while it might be premeditated, it’s no coup. If it was a coup there’d be a quiet spill in the party room. The Costello camp’s resort to this sort of tactic demonstrates just how far from having the numbers they are. They appear to have taken a position that John Howard’s electoral standing, and the government’s, is going to worsen, and they want their man clear of any problems and in a position to pick-up the pieces.
How convincing will a Costello resignation be? Not very. While Costello has put himself in a position where he really has to resign, he actually needs Howard to demand his resignation. If Howard doesn’t, then Costello will have to resign himself, but on what basis? If the commitment was broken it was broken about six years ago, in 2000. What’s the quality of the PM in waiting that it takes 6 years for him to make a stand?
And a resignation taken for ambition rather than principle will not resonate well with electors.
These events may have been planned, but they bring to mind Paul Keatings comments on John Hewson’s plan – Fightback! “Yes, but it’s the wrong plan.”