For the time being, Abbott says he has no immediate plans and will not decide "this side of Christmas" whether to stay in parliament, and seek a frontbench position.

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Few expect Abbott to stoop so low as to become Malcolm Turnbull's Kevin Rudd. And fewer still, objectively speaking, give the ex-PM any realistic chance of resuming his party's leadership. Of course, the grieving Abbott probably harbours such hopes, because leaders invariably do.

 

Exhibit 1 is Turnbull himself, who was so wounded after Abbott knocked him off in December 2009 that he announced he was off in 2010. He was quickly, and rather easily, talked around when appeals from supporters touched his ambitious heart. Their arguments had spoken directly to Turnbull's twin convictions that not only was he destined to be prime minister, but that Abbott was in essence an incomplete alternative whose two-dimensional combativeness would see him fail the test of national leadership. In other words, that the Lodge could still be attainable if he, Turnbull, was prepared to break the habit of a lifetime and be patient.

Even so,  his leadership ambitions came to be regarded as so much of a joke by the party's Right that they were usually classified as harmless. "The party will never go back to Turnbull, everyone knows it," one Right figure confidently predicted earlier this year.

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/comment/so-thats-it-for-abbott-in-canberra-dont-bet-on-it-20151001-gjyx45.html#ixzz3nMFGQuy7
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The only MAJOR Tony Abbott UNDERPANTS missing are the ones with the English/UK flag... Tony Abbott has been holding two nationalities contrary to the laws of parliament as far as we know — since he has never produce a paper proving he has abandoned his British citizenship to become a member of PARLIAMENT of this fair country, Australia.

 

Though he insisted from the start there would be no wrecking or undermining, ex-prime minister Tony Abbott has twice now crossed the line from legacy protection to vindictiveness, writes Barrie Cassidy.

Have you noticed what's gone missing? Seemingly dead, buried and cremated?

Those interminable doorstops at a factory within easy driving distance from Parliament House that usually involved the prime minister putting on a hard hat and mouthing vacuous slogans.

They happened almost every day and rarely did they advance the national interest one inch. Instead, they simply served as fodder to the meaningless, mindless political argument du jour.

Kevin Rudd started the habit, Julia Gillard copied him, Tony Abbott turned it into an art form, and Bill Shorten felt the need to keep up, or lose.

So far at least Malcolm Turnbull has eschewed the practice, preferring to face the media less often, but in a more mature way when he does.

Neither is Turnbull doing most of those long form interviews with cringingly supportive mates who never test or genuinely inquire, but rather advocate for their own precious narrow causes.

So some things have changed. And the way the prime minister of the day deals with the media, and through them, the public, is important.

But even more important, of course, is policy, rhetoric and direction.

Paul Keating once said that when you change the government, you change the country. The question now is whether changing prime ministers is akin to changing the government.

Even if you argue it's not - by a long shot - it does imply change nevertheless, and that's where Tony Abbott's self-indulgent farewell radio tour comes in.

Though he insisted from the start there would be no wrecking or undermining, he has twice now - with Ray Hadley and Neil Mitchell - crossed the line from legacy protection to vindictiveness.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-10-02/cassidy-abbotts-self-indulgent-and-damaging-farewell-radio-tour/6820304

 

Wags on Twitter like to refer Tony Abbott's time at the lodge, as "Tony Abbott, Prime Minister 2013-1955". So does he have what it takes to be join the modern world? Mark Hipgrave looks at his options.

THIS WEEK, former Prime Minister Tony Abbott, cuddled in Ray Hadley's warm embrace, indicated that he is unlikely to vacate his Warringah seat anytime soon — well at least until the next election, when voters might decide that having a lame duck former-prime-minister as their representative is not going to bring much pork to the electorate any more.

But what exactly would his options be if he became an ex-politician, either accidentally or on purpose?

A corporate role?

Would and major public company give him a board seat?  I doubt it. Former treasurer Peter Costello, who left politics with a much better legacy than Abbott, couldn't get one, and had to wait until he was parachuted into the Future Fund to give his post political career any relevance.  

One of the junior coal miners (are there any left?) might have a board seat for him in the expectation that he could open a few doors in Canberra, or perhaps Adani could engage him as a lobbyist.  

With his attitudes opposing climate change, renewable energy, gender equality and all other progressive  measures I can't imagine any of the banks or major industrial corporations wanting him. And besides, as Costello once pointed out and we have now discovered too, Abbott is an “economic illiterate”.

@TonyAbbottMHR is an 'economic illiterate' according to costello. Abbott isnt helping dispell that image. pic.twitter.com/SSmux5cO9f

— Cameron Malcher (@Capitan_Typo) May 4, 2013

A media role?

As a former journalist, Tony could consider a return to the media. 

He was no friend, however, to the ABC and there would be an outcry if they allocated any funding to his employment. 

There might be opportunities in radio or current affairs TV, but his style of speaking v e r y  s l o w l y and repeating every second phrase, every second phrase, might cause problems. And of course he would need Peta C whispering into his ear to make it all work.

He would probably do fine as an election night commentator on one of the commercial TV networks, but three hours work every three years is not going to keep him in sunscreen and speedos.

What about News Corp? There are plenty of former Liberal Party staffers and sympathisers writing for The Australian to keep him company in the Surry Hills lunchroom. Tony would no doubt love the opportunity to critique the actions of his successor (without sniping, of course) but would they all be prepared to shuffle sideways to make room for him?

Now that Mark Latham has resigned, Fairfax needs another crazy-former-party-leader, perhaps this time from the right. Tony could amuse us all with regular rants on what might have been, if only ...

A diplomatic role?

Tony believes Australia's focus should be “more Jakarta, less Geneva'” so that rules out the London-Paris-Rome option, and Joe Hockey seems to have been promised Washington in exchange for promising to go quietly, so that destination is unavailable too. Tim Fisher's old posting to The Holy See would be suitable for Tony. But even more appropriate might be Jakarta, where he could repair the damage he caused there. Another might be Moscow — "Hello Vladimir.  Nice to see you again".  Or Port Moresby, where he could fix the Manus Island imbroglio.  Or how about Phnom Penh, for similar reasons?

Abbott hits wrong notes with Djakarta again. http://t.co/5GLrNkrFeC

— Jane Salmon (@JSalmonupstream) May 4, 2015

The international speaking circuit?

Bill Clinton, Tony Blair and many other retired politicians have done well on the international speaking circuit, and Tony has lots offer. The Greeks would love to learn how to make a debt and deficit disaster disappear, and all the European nations would welcome Tony's advice on how to secure their borders and stop the boats. Perhaps the manufacturers of those orange plastic lifeboats could sponsor him too?

An academic role?

Former leaders Rudd, Gillard and Beattie have all taken academic positions at universities in the U.S. and each had something of substance to offer graduates and undergraduates. It's hard though to imagine anything that Tony could bring to academia from his years as an opposition leader or prime minister other than a course in Three Word Slogans 101.

Abbott will take almost 3 months to decide on his future. Lol. No wonder he was... #auspol http://t.co/afunDvKz2A pic.twitter.com/xtl2r6lIkb

— Nick #FreeKaren (@NSunners) September 26, 2015

A return to the seminary?

He was once a seminarian, and although a wife and three children might be an impediment, there have been precedents. Old pal, Pell, could find him a spot in a contemplative order like where he could spend his remaining years in quiet solitude, reflecting on his life, his deeds and his complicity in the shameful treatment of the refugees in his care.

On reflection, though, there is nothing in the above though that leaps out as being ideally suited for Our Tone, so perhaps he should stay with his “love mum” Bronwyn Bishop on the backbench, lie low and keep schtum.

 

https://independentaustralia.net/politics/politics-display/what-next-for-tony-abbott-pm-2013-1955,8220

 

The satirical Betoota Newspaper offers another possibility. The chairman of his own club:

BREAKING FROM HIS own personal traditions and beliefs, former PM Tony Abbott has now opened the doors to his Frenchs Forest 1950’s nostalgia club to female members. Although they won’t be allowed to vote on club matters or hold any significant role within the organisation, they’ll still be allowed to join. Mr Abbott started the far-upper-north-shore “greaser gang” over 30 years ago to celebrate the values and purity that existed in Australian society in the 1950s.

read more: http://www.betootaadvocate.com/entertainment/tony-abbotts-t-birds-club-now-open-to-female-membership/

 

A dip-stick in a grease revival club circa 1950 is all we need to know...

 

 

A string of Cabinet ministers [who betrayed Abbott] have come forward in support of outspoken dumped prime minister Tony Abbott, saying he has the right to defend his legacy.

Cabinet Minister Christopher Pyne said he welcomed Mr Abbott's input following a series of media interviews detailing last month's leadership change.

Mr Pyne, who was promoted from Education Minister to Industry Minister under new Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, said the comments were justified.

He told Channel Nine that he would expect Mr Abbott to do more interviews in the future.

"I don't think he's being unhelpful," Mr Pyne said.

"Primarily he's putting his best foot forward."

Finance Minister Mathias Cormann also defended Mr Abbott, saying he had handled himself "really well".

Senator Cormann told the ABC there was nothing suspicious about the timing of his interviews, saying it was simply coincidence that Mr Abbott was speaking live on air while the current Prime Minister was convening an economic summit in Canberra yesterday.

"What happened two or so weeks ago was difficult for him," Senator Cormann said.

"I think he's handled himself with a lot of class and distinction, and I think he's earned the right to explain to the Australian people what it is he sought to do as prime minister."

Mr Abbott has said he has more to contribute in public life and will consider his future closer to Christmas.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-10-02/ministers-come-out-in-support-of-dumped-abbott-after-interviews/6822528

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Please, Tony, go away on a holiday in your own country — the UK. No need to renew your Aussie passport, we know you've still got a British one... In short, we do not want you to contribute any more to public life in Australia. You've done enough damage, have promoted too many lies and pushed too many dumb crappy policies...

We know, you don't know much about anything else in life but political games, negativity and punch ups... But you could become a permanent pyromaniac for your local fire brigade to keep them busy — or be a Lifesaver, now called Lifegards, on North Curl Curl where more budgie smugglers are lost in the surf than anywhere else in Australia. 

See you later and please, don't come back.

 

Abbott found some solace in his trip to London to give the Margaret Thatcher address and mingle with like-minded conservatives.

And perhaps solace was on his mind when Australia's most famous monarchist approached Buckingham Palace to request an audience with the Queen during his trip.

If so, he was disappointed. While he'd be the last to appear on Turnbull's list, he had expected to be on the monarch's. Other former Australian prime ministers have been given audiences, after all.

But, citing scheduling constraints, she declined to see him. The Queen's published schedule, however, does not seem much constrained. On the day after Abbott's speech, for instance, she had no appointments all day, only a reception in the evening where she awarded a prize for engineering.

The Queen too, it seems, wanted to let some water go under the bridge.

 

read more: http://www.smh.com.au/interactive/2015/Shirtfronted/PartFiveMalcolm.html

 

See toon at top...

 

He once described Parliament House’s art collection as “avant-garde crap”. But Tony Abbott, the conservative warrior and part-time art critic, says he has mellowed and is “more conscious of the fact all collections need to stay contemporary”.

“That was a throwaway line and like all throwaway lines, it probably should be thrown away,” the former prime minister conceded.

More than three months after being ousted from the Liberal party leadership, Abbott appears to be in a reflective mood.

read more: http://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2016/jan/08/tony-abbotts-future-still-cloudy-but-his-growing-interest-in-art-is-clear

 

Throwaway lines? Rubbish. Tony was the throwaway. Good riddance. Please don't let him come back by default. Abbott was behaving like an idiot, he is behaving like an idiot and he will behave like an idiot... See toon at top.