Scrambling back aboard the Titanic

It's not that it's simply missing, but it has been eradicated by self-interest. The politicians in Canberra are so self-absorbed in their own political power plays designed to improve the 'polling' that they fail to see that it is these very games that are turning the voters off.

There is no greater example of this than the fact that both Abbott and Turnbull supporters hitting the airwaves last night claimed that they would be voting on what was 'best for the party'. The entire machines of the major parties are now focused on one thing only: furthering the careers of career politicians. When they say 'best for the party', what they really mean is best for themselves.

Whether it's Liberal or Labor, this mob would scramble back aboard the Titanic if it thought doing so would improve its popularity.

The interests of Australia and its people are a secondary, minor consideration in the corridors of Canberra.

In these circumstances, it can be no surprise at all that we're no longer voting to put a party into government. Rather, we're voting to kick them out.

Finally, some words must be said about Abbott. Undoubtedly, his government did do some good. Axing the carbon tax was important. So was stopping the boats. And even I was surprised by his willingness to wear criticism on the issue of marriage.

He might have been weaker than many Australians wanted, but Abbott was not spineless.

But Abbott also failed. The sad reality is that Abbott will probably rue the missed opportunities to be true to himself more than anything else – especially now that they've been snatched away for good.

Unfortunately, Abbott has only himself to blame. On the issues where he could have gone hard, gone with principle and gone all the way, he baulked. Failing to scrap section 18C of the Racial Discrimination Act is just one example. It was a huge missed opportunity. Instead, he went politically-correct and decided to keep laws limiting free speech in order to placate the most offended minority of them all – the perpetually outraged Islamic community.

Abbott should have gone so much further than simply stopping the boats. This country needed him to. Instead, he allowed a lack of confidence to undermine all his efforts.

And now that Turnbull – a carbon copy of Rudd – is in power leading the Liberals, there must be serious questions about whether we have actually stopped the boats for good. The pro-republic, pro-multiculturalism, pro-diversity and pro-homosexual marriage Turnbull also happens to think that we should downplay the threat of the Islamic State. In fact, he's even gone so far as to say that Islam is an ancient religion of great scholarship and that the Islamic community is our best ally in the fight against terrorism.

Thanks, but no thanks, Liberal Party.