John Howard has praise for one Lib leader, subtle blow for another

Former prime minister John Howard dealt a subtle blow to incumbent Malcolm Turnbull, while praising the man Turnbull unseated, Tony Abbott.

Speaking to host Leigh Sales on the ABC’s 7.30 last night, Howard said that he liked and admired “Tony” a lot, but that there wasn’t any enthusiasm within the Liberal Party for another leadership change.

“I think he did a great thing leading the Coalition back into government after years in opposition, but I don’t think there is any appetite for change,” Howard told Sales. “I just want to see everybody making their contribution.”

However, in the interview, which lasted almost nine minutes, the revered former Liberal leader did not mention current prime minister Turnbull by name once.

A Newspoll taken shortly after the May 9 budget showed the Coalition government trailing Labour with a 47 percent approval rating, against the Opposition’s 53 percent, increasing Labor’s lead over the Coalition from the poll three weeks previous.

There was a pick-up in Turnbull’s own ‘net satisfaction rating’, which is the difference between voters who’re satisfied by his performance and those who’re dissatisfied, to -20 points from 0-25 points, which was his best result in months. Labor Leader Bill Shorten’s rating dropped to -22 points from -20 points three weeks previous.

Abbott has been an outspoken critic of his party in recent months, saying only that the budget was the best that could be done “in the circumstances”.

Political commentator Peter Van Onselen wrote in The Australian today about the possibility of a leadership challenge to Turnbull, although he said that would be unlikely to happen for at least another year. Turnbull unseated Abbott after the Liberals trailed Labor for 30 consecutive news polls.

Howard was speaking ahead of The Forgotten People 75th Anniversary Dinner in Canberra, which was being held to celebrate former prime minister Robert Menzies’ landmark 1942 speech about the importance of remembering the vast swathe of quiet middle-class voters who were “not leaners but lifters” and were the “backbone of the nation”.

Do you think the Liberal Party needs another leadership change? What do you think about the famous Robert Menzies speech?