The bitter struggle between Turnbull and Minchin

Malcolm Turnbull may have come back from the dead because he has reached the conclusion that if the Liberal Party goes backwards in elected seats at this election, Tony Abbott’s position as leader will come under question. And without Minchin pulling the strings, Turnbull may feel he has a reasonable chance of regaining the leadership.

On the other hand, given Minchin’s powerful Liberal Party network, built up over the course of three decades in politics, it is not certain that he now even needs to be in Parliament to pull the strings. It seems difficult to believe that, as a relatively young man, he would be prepared to risk the ascendancy of the right faction within the Liberal Party that he has striven so hard to achieve.

The Liberals talk about factional power-brokers pulling down a Prime Minister and installing Gillard as leader, but the question must be asked: is the Liberal Party in any way different?

Malcolm Turnbull would be advised to not let down his guard. One suspects he may need to invest in some garlic, holy water and a silver stake if he ever wants to become the leader of the Liberal Party again.