Turnbull can’t help himself. Once again he is sowing disunity and discord in the coalition . One would have thought that after recent events and with the turn in popularity towards Abbott that Turnbull would have gotten the message by now that his way does not work. By going on an obscure ABC radio programme and his failure to offer support for Abbott’s approach to border protection, Turnbull is making himself the issue not Rudd.

Consider the following. When all is said and done, by the time Howard left office there were virtually no illegal immigrant deaths at sea and virtually no one in mandatory detention, and yet our refugee intake remained high. Under Rudd the refugee intake level has not changed that much, and yet we have 160 people dead and so many people in mandatory detention that Rudd is having to rent out motels to house them all. All because Rudd abolished amongst other things, temporary protection visas. So for instance, if you were a person in a refugee camp in Africa and you weren’t cashed up enough to engage a people smuggler, you had a greater chance of getting a refugee visa to Australia under Howard than you do Rudd. This is because the annual refugee intake is set, and if people jump the queue than those most in need miss out. Is this the left’s idea of compassion? It is Rudd that is cruel and unfair. Turnbull should consider this.