‘Pesutto’ it’s time to go!

By George Hazim

As far as political disasters go, Victoria’s Liberal Party is a train wreck. 

Derailed by poor leadership and a succession of failed leaders, the Party has been hijacked by ineptness for a decade.

For political observers, the Party’s collapse traces back to Ted Baillieu’s ascension to the Premiership in 2010. 

Baillieu was the accidental Premier, ‘the king’ who never wanted to be, and his rise to the top job revealed a dearth of talent that existed within the Party.

Those that followed have been behind the Party’s demise beginning when Denise Napthine took the leadership in 2013, following its loss to Labor.

From Napthine to John Pesutto, the Victorian Liberals have been starved of capable leaders, except for one, and that was put to an end to ensure Pesutto’s ascendency to the role he’s not qualified for.

Since his election as leader, Pesutto’s shown what another monumental mistake the Party’s made when it comes to choosing leaders.

Pesutto is robbing the Party of any chance of finding its way out of the political darkness, and Moira Deeming’s expulsion exemplifies why.

Pesutto and the Victorian Liberals have been captured by woke ideology, and it’s now unsure where it stands as a Party and the values it holds. 

Deeming’s expulsion was an attempt by Pesutto to be seen on the right side of history, but he’s failed to read the mood of the electorate.

Victorians want an Opposition different to Labor, one that stands-up to Andrews, challenges the ideology of transgenderism and what’s being perpetuated by a minority impacting on the values and lives of Victorians.

In the seven months Pesutto has been leader, he’s offered Victorians more of Labor both politically and ideologically.

Since Michael O’Brien’s leadership, the Party has become Labor lite.

Deeming’s attendance at a ‘Let Women Speak Rally’, was to speak out against a movement she saw as an attack on women, children, and family values. 

Deeming has been a vocal critic of what she perceives to be an attack transgenderism has launched on women and its attempt, to capture children. 

Pesutto’s mess is a dog’s breakfast. It should never have been, but it revealed his political immaturity and why he’s not a leader – something that should have been evident before being elected to the job.

And that begs the question, how much influence does Jeff Kennett continue to have on the Party, especially when it comes to who should be leader?

Is his influence so great that whoever he anoints is inevitably elected leader?

There’s a strong belief throughout Victoria’s political circles and the Party he does have that influence, and the time has come to cut Kennett loose. 

Successive leaders since Baillieu have nearly if not all received Kennett’s blessing, and all have been failures. 

Kennett saved Victoria during a time when Victoria needed saving, and now if he does have influence over the Party, he’s also its destroyer.

When Victoria needed a leader in 1993, Kennett was the man for the job - he may have saved Victoria then, but he’s not saving the Party now. 

Parallels can be drawn between the Victorian Liberal Party and the Hawthorn Football Club.

Kennett’s Presidency of the Club has seen him as a divisive figure even though he’s been instrumental in its success, his relationship with Alastair Clarkson’s was contentious, and both have had public disagreements over the handling of the club.

Kennett was critical of Clarkson’s coaching style, and he sought to undermine Clarkson by publicly questioning his decision making around player selection – straining their relationship beyond repair.

Whether it be Hawthorn or the Liberal Party, Kennett’s desire to run interference or influence outcomes – sees him as a barnacle on the bottom of a boat.

While the Party continues to retain failed leadership and recycle people like Kim Wells, David Southwick, Michael O’Brien, Matthew Guy, David Davis and others, failure for the Party will continue to beckon. 

There’s no value in retaining ‘the failed’ who’ve done more to destroy the Party than advance it.  

The value for the Libs comes when they stop recycling and look to the future and attract fresh capable talent.  Recycling works for certain things and failed politicians isn’t one of them.  

Pesutto and his leadership must go, and the Party must rethink who and what it is and what it stands for.  

Because being Labor-Lite isn’t working.

The time has come for Kennett to focus on Hawthorn, stop powerbroking and discontinue his involvement with the Party. 

Kennett should retire and be the ‘elder statesman’ and let the Party resurrect itself.

It’s also time for Pesutto and his leadership team to be sacked.  

But who will the Party have as its next leader and who is competent enough to do the job

?