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Tony Abbott Promised He'd Never Undermine Malcolm Turnbull. These Are The Times He Has.

Remember when Tony Abbott said there'd be "no wrecking" and "no sniping"?
Former Prime Minister Tony Abbott chats with Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull.
Alex Ellinghausen/Fairfax
Former Prime Minister Tony Abbott chats with Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull.

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.

Election fever started to come on.

  • 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?

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

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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