Worth noting that Abbott did the honourable thing and gave Turnbull a seat at the table both in opposition and government. Unlike Turnbull, Abbott understood the importance attached to Ministers not being able to speak out on issues other than their own portfolio and cabinet solidarity. The importance of the Godfather maxim of “keeping your enemies closer” and “inside the tent pissing out”

So where was Downer’s wisdom when Turnbull was white-anteing, sniping and undermining Abbott between 2009 and 2015? And before him, Brendan Nelson? And before him the Member for Wentworth Peter King?

Liberal Party elders lash Tony Abbott for acts of revenge on Turnbull’s government

“..Mr Downer said Mr Turnbull was right to exclude Mr Abbott from the frontbench after the 2015 leadership spill, a move that others say further contributed to the party turmoil.

“I don’t think Tony Abbott’s mindset was the mindset of playing in the team led by Malcolm Turnbull, in all honesty,” Mr Downer said.

“So I’m not sure that it was a mistake to exclude him from the Cabinet…”

This would be the same Alexander Downer whose approval ratings went from 53% to 34% in the 8 months he was leader of the Liberal Party.

Both are records.

The approval slump AND his term as leader. He was the shortest serving leader of the Liberal Party in its entire history.

His main claim to fame was when promoting the Liberal slogan “The Things That Matter”, in a reference to their domestic abuse campaign. The school child in Downer thought it would be clever to remark that the policy would be henceforth be known as “the things that batter.”

As opposed to Abbott, I don’t recall Downer writing any books or original columns for the op-ed pages or delivering any insightful, intellectual landmark speeches or original thinking on policy or leading the Libs to a landslide victory in just two electoral cycles with a net gain of 25 seats.

Its too easy to say or ask what’s wrong with people like Downer, looking through the wrong end of the telescope as they quite obviously are?

I think there’s more going on.

I think the cosy club of the Lear Jet elites, the likes of Turnbull, Downer and Bishop and the disruption and ructions caused by the likes of Abbott and Trump and Brexit etc make them feel threatened and under siege because these “recalcitrants” are not playing by the elite rule book. Not playing along with their U.N. globalist ambitions and the New World Order of rearranging the world economy under the guise of climate change and the free movement of people in a border-less world.

What else explains their reaction?