THE current Liberal leaking campaign against Prime Minister Tony Abbott is tiresome, predictable and self-serving.
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The same ploy was used expertly to weaken former prime ministers Julia Gillard and Kevin Rudd. It usually occurs after the first leadership showdown and is aimed at either recruiting defectors and supporters of the PM, or those who simply want a resolution.
It is a tried and true strategy. Leaking creates mayhem and instability, which in turn further wounds the leader, and therefore acts as a catalyst for a resolution.
The proponents have acted quickly after the last party room spill because they want to capitalise on the malaise and the spectacle of a leader already weakened. They don't want Mr Abbott to recover.
The latest in a wave of leaks suggests Mr Abbott fantastically canvassed a unilateral Australian military invasion of Iraq. Mr Abbott, the nation's defence chiefs and senior ministers have dismissed the reports as fanciful, but journalists who wrote the stories are sticking to their guns.
In the face of such strong denials they would be sticking with their fantastic reports because while those leaking are obviously Abbott opponents they are also credible sources. It suggests that the leaks are being driven at ministerial level. If this is the case Mr Abbott is in real trouble. So is the nation.
The leaks and mayhem strategy are against the national interest, at a time when relations between Australia and Indonesia are strained over the pending Bali Nine executions.
This has reached a point where Indonesia has deployed its military, including fighter jets, to maintain security during the executions. Such actions are pointedly aimed at Australia.
The infighting is also taking place at a sensitive time of national security and terrorism, amid the conundrum of a backlog of federal budget measures.
The perpetrators will wreck the government, including their own ambitions. There will be no recovery, even by next year's election, from such blatant episodes of betrayal and instability.