CANBERRA -- He might be the "man with a five-point plan", but Tony Abbott promised there would no sniping.
Bleary-eyed in September 2015, after a raucous farewell in the Ministerial wing, the newly ousted PM also promised "no wrecking" and "no undermining."
Sniping in the traditional sense -- and according to illustrious dictionaries -- is petulant and snide, done anonymously or from a "safe distance".
Now as a backbencher Abbott is definitely more of a keyboard warrior in dishing out advice -- penning many op-eds and frequently firing up his Twitter account -- but he is in plain sight.
Putting aside whether Abbott wants his top job back, and whether telling Turnbull and his senior ministers what to do all the time is a great strategy for a comeback, here are the times the former Prime Minister has put a few thoughts out there on leadership.
To be helpful. And correct the record as Abbott sees it.
- September 26, 2015 Tony Abbott said leaders are subject to "death by opinion poll";
- September 29, 2015 Tony Abbott said he could have won next federal election;
- October 27, 2015 Tony Abbott reminded everyone he stopped the boats;
- November 17, 2015 Tony Abbott called for more boots on the ground in Syria and said the SAS should take the fight to Islamic State;
- December 9, 2015 Tony Abbott stepped in to urge Islam to reform;
- February 22, 2016 Tony Abbott suggested more federal government defence spending was required.
Election fever started to come on.
- October 5, 2016 Tony Abbott was forced to deny he said he had a "good chance" at becoming PM again;
- October 15, 2016 Tony Abbott declared he was "ready to serve" and blasted the "toxic" culture of leaking from party room meetings;
- October 17, 2016 Tony Abbott was disturbed by reports the Turnbull Government was trading off gun laws for the ABCC vote.
- October 19, 2016 Tony Abbott said no "serious Coalition government" would allow the importation of rapid-fire weapons;
- November 9, 2017 The U.S Presidential election happened, and did you see this subtweet?
- November 15, 2016 Tony Abbott declaredclimate change is not the most serious moral, political and economic issue and the moral panic about it is 'completely over the top';
- November 27, 2016 Tony Abbott gave some end of year advice. He called for a "big new push on budget repair" and urged the government to stop talking about innovation and agility because it "loses people";
- December 5, 2016 Tony Abbott was not happy about the scrapping of his Green Army, describing the act as a "bad principle".
To be strong & united, the Liberal Party cannot take the base for granted & must convincingly argue for its values & principles.
— Tony Abbott (@TonyAbbottMHR) December 21, 2016
- February 17, 2017 Tony Abbott said the May budget should not raise taxes;
- February 22, 2017 Remember Tony Abbott's government signed THREE free trade agreements?
- February 24, 2017 Tony Abbott laid out a five-point plan for the Coalition to have a chance at the "winnable" next election;
- March 31, 2017 Tony Abbott spoke out to "set the record straight" on the China extradition treaty and urged the Government to learn the lesson not to "trash" colleagues;
- April 17, 2017 Tony Abbott reissued his five-point plan on winning and reconnecting with the electorate, but urged colleagues not to sack the Prime Minister.
My first fortnightly chat with Ray Hadley on @2GB873 here: https://t.co/o7dp7nZAczpic.twitter.com/CmsRRcHFbS
— Tony Abbott (@TonyAbbottMHR) April 17, 2017
And there is more help to come as the Member for Warringah now has a two regular spots on Sydney radio and is in high demand for opinion pieces.
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