Imagine if Peter Costello had become Prime Minister during the course of the last parliament. It’s one thing to have the heir apparent stump-off in high dudgeon – another to have the leader and defeated Prime MInister do so.
No wonder his colleagues were never prepared to trust him with the leadership.
November 26, 2007 | Graham
Costello – it could have been worse
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I remember many Liberal (and National) members almost making fun of Costello’s ambitions to be PM. Many of these had never known life in Opposition, and thought the sun shone from somewhere other than the sky. Now the few left who will know what Oppostion is (they didn’t retire or lose their seats) come begging for him to save them. I predicted Costello would quit if the Coalition lost, and who can really blame him?
Comment by Rocket — November 26, 2007 @ 11:01 pm
Costello’s unpopularity ordained that he could only be PM if he got the job without having to face an election as leader.
He knew that, and his action is entirely reasonable and sensible, for him; and it shouldn’t concernt he rest of us at all.
Comment by Leigh — November 27, 2007 @ 11:27 am
Could it be that after 10 years of internal mud-slinging, Howard’s ‘potplants’ have so successfully trashed brand Costello that not even the Liberal Party itself had any faith in the man?
Comment by alanj — November 27, 2007 @ 1:26 pm
I have always had trouble supporting Costello because it was the activities of his supporters which really set in train the current corrupt state of the Queensland Liberal Party.
In the 90s they were paying students to turn up at FEC meetings and impersonate members to try to roll office bearers, and forging membership slips to try to stack preselections.
I was probably the key person involved in exposing this and having a number of the wrong-doers disciplined. They then pursued me and eventually rolled me at convention (by 10 votes out of more than 500, things are always tight in the Queensland Libs).
Comment by Graham Young — November 29, 2007 @ 8:30 pm