Andrew Hastie slammed as ‘stupid’ after Liberal leadership play

Veteran political commentator Paul Kelly has unloaded on the former SAS commander’s conduct and the state of the Liberal Party, revealing he’s “never seen anything quite this bad”.

Angus Taylor, James Paterson, Matt O’Sullivan and Andrew Hastie leave the meeting in suburban Melbourne on Thursday. Picture: Liam Mendes

Describing the state of Liberal and National politics as an “existential crisis” and a “tragic farce”, The Australian’s editor-at-large Mr Kelly told Sky News that the centre-right in the Liberal Party had “collapsed as a coherent political and policy force” and was the party was now being consumed by an ideological civil war instead of focusing on challenging Labor.

Andrew Hastie’s short-lived leadership tilt has been slammed. Picture: NewsWire / Martin Ollman

“It’s the worst I’ve ever seen,” Mr Kelly said.

In an extraordinary spray, the man who has covered politics at the The Australian newspaper since 1971, also said the aborted leadership coup was an embarrassment.

Hastie’s ‘arrogance’

Mr Hastie’s all-male band of brothers have been briefing journalists for weeks that he was planning to challenge Sussan Ley, before pulling the pin on their own mission on Friday night.

Former SAS commander Andrew Hastie’s leadership ambitions have been called ‘stupid’ and ‘reckless’ by veteran commentator Paul Kelly.

“As for Andrew Hastie and the Hastie supporters, has there ever been a more stupid, reckless campaign for leadership than what we’ve seen over the course of the last 10 days?” Mr Kelly said.

“Where did this end? It ended up with Andrew Hastie telling us, ‘Oh, I don’t have the numbers.’ Well, as if he didn’t know that a few days earlier.”

Three of the Liberal Party leadership troupe were even captured by The Australian’s Liam Mendes last week attending a meeting in Melbourne on the day of ex-Liberal MP Katie Allen’s funeral.

Andrew Hastie said he would not challenge for the leadership. Picture: NewsWire/Philip Gostelow

Angus Taylor is seen as the likely candidate. Picture: NewsWire / Luis Enrique Ascui

They were later captured leaving the event glum-faced with one MP Matt O’Sullivan sporting a large pair of sunglasses that failed to disguise his identity.

The Australian captured footage of Mr Hastie and fellow right-wingers Jonno Duniam and Mr O’Sullivan arriving at the talks, which were brokered by the former Liberal MP Michael Sukkar and also attended by Liberal frontbencher James Paterson, who argued Angus Taylor should be the candidate.

Mr Kelly accused Mr Hastie of extraordinary arrogance in seeking leadership support without clearly outlining his agenda.

“Andrew Hastie wants to be leader of the Liberal Party. How about him actually giving a speech or an interview telling Liberal Party MPs and the Australian people what he wants to do as leader?” he said.

“He seems to have some idea that he’s under no obligation to do that. I have never seen such arrogance before in any leadership contest.”

Opposition Leader Sussan Ley’s position is in doubt. Picture: NewsWire / Luis Enrique Ascui

He said signals from Mr Hastie suggested “a radical departure” from the party’s traditional pro-market stance.

“He’s got a much deeper commitment to faith in government, faith in the public sector. How about he actually explains all this to people before expecting they’re going to make him leader?” Kelly said.

Kelly also warned against any suggestion Hastie be installed as shadow treasurer as part of a factional deal.

“If that’s the price of a Taylor victory, then the project is not worthwhile,” he said, citing “enormous economic policy differences” within the party.

He warned the damage since the federal election had been “enormous”, with Coalition primary support plunging from an already historic low of about 31 per cent to the low 20s.

“There’s going to be no easy recovery from this point. The idea that there’s any easy silver bullet solution is nonsense,” he said.

“And of course, this is the most wonderful free kick, the most wonderful gift imaginable for Anthony Albanese.”

‘A great delusion’

Speaking on Sky News, Mr Kelly warned sections of the conservative wing had fatally misread the country.

“This is the great delusion,” he said.

“These people have lost contact with the Australian mainstream. They’ve lost contact with Australia’s political culture at the national level.”

He said attempts to import Trump-style or UK-style conservative politics ignored the fundamentals of Australia’s system.

“In this country we have never had a conservative party, ever. Anyone who thinks you can transpose the politics of the United States or the United Kingdom to this country is kidding themselves,” he said.

Importing Donald Trump-style politics into Australia was a misstep, Mr Kelly says. Picture: AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana

“We have compulsory voting. We have a preferential system. A response from the centre-right has got to take cognisance of all that.”

Instead, he said, conservatives were focused on an internal ideological war.

“What they are mainly concerned about is the political and ideological civil war going on in the right of politics to take politics further to the right,” he said.

“They say this is the key to unseating the Labor government. That’s not the case at all.”

Nationals’ ‘catastrophic’ move

Kelly was equally blunt about the Nationals’ recent decision to take a stand over free speech, which contributed to fracturing Coalition unity.

“Have you ever seen such extraordinary ineptitude?” he said.

“The National Party decides to take this heroic stand for free speech, as if National Party voters in the country are dying for free speech.”

Nationals Leader David Littleproud decision to split from the Liberals has caused chaos. Picture: NewsWire / Sarah Marshall

He said the practical effect was to weaken the party’s governing credentials and risk Senate representation.

“By busting the Coalition, the National Party has surrendered its governing credentials,” he said.

“The decisions the National Party took a fortnight ago are absolutely catastrophic — some of the worst political trade-offs I have ever seen.”

Missing the mainstream

Kelly said the centre-right’s internal obsessions were blinding it to voters’ core concerns.

“They’re kidding themselves. All you’ve got to do is look at the polls,” he said.

“In our compulsory voting democracy, the mainstream is important and centrist politics is absolutely vital – and that’s where sections of the conservatives in the Liberal and National parties have completely lost their way.”

After watching events unfold over the break, Kelly said he struggled to believe the scale of the dysfunction.

“I’ve been sitting there during my holidays watching this tragic farce unfold, thinking this can’t be real – but it is real,” he said.

Unless the parties reconstruct a credible, united alternative, he warned, the biggest winner would be Labor.

“All elements of both the Liberal and National parties have got to try and get together and work out what might be the road back,” he said.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has compared the Coalition’s woes with a bad episode of MAFS.

“The other side, we’ll allow them to engage in their, their bizarre behaviour,” he told MPs in ALP caucus this morning.

“I note that Married at First Sight begins tonight, and it’s a bit, it’s a bit like that with the relationships on the other side. You know they’re going to end badly.”

Liberal frontbencher Andrew Bragg urged the party to stop carrying on like they were playing a starting role in Days of Our Lives.