Liberal Leadership Race Ends in Disappointment as Hastie Abandons Challenge
The highly anticipated Liberal leadership challenge by Andrew Hastie has ended in disarray, with the Western Australian politician pulling out of the contest just days before it was supposed to take place. The news comes as a surprise, given that Hastie had been quietly building support for his bid and had seen himself as the obvious choice to succeed Sussan Ley as leader.
While Hastie's decision not to run is unlikely to come as a shock to many, it does raise questions about what was the point of all the speculation in the first place. The question on everyone's lips now is: so what happens next?
Hastie's leadership challenge had been months in the making, with the former Special Air Service soldier laying out his nationalist vision for the country, which included a focus on energy, immigration, and manufacturing. However, despite his efforts to build support, it seems that Hastie never really gained the traction he needed to take on Ley.
The truth is that Hastie's social views were always going to be a major hurdle for him. His stance on abortion, in particular, has been seen as too extreme by some of his moderate colleagues. And while he may have had the blessing of some right-wing MPs, including Angus Taylor, it's unlikely that enough of them would have backed him to become leader.
Taylor, who was reportedly in secret talks with Hastie about a potential partnership, has since announced that he will launch a formal bid for the leadership himself. While it's difficult to predict how the party room will respond, one thing is certain: the Coalition is on the brink of another leadership crisis.
For now, Sussan Ley remains at the helm, but her position is far from secure. Hastie's decision not to run has dealt a significant blow to her chances of retaining the top job, and it's likely that she will have to navigate a series of challenges in the coming weeks and months.
As for Hastie, his future in the party remains uncertain. While he's made clear that he won't be contesting the leadership challenge again, some of his supporters are hopeful that he'll have another opportunity to run. For now, however, it seems that politics has once again gotten in the way of his ambitions.
In a nutshell, Hastie's decision not to run is a reminder that politics is often unpredictable and that nothing is ever as certain as it seems. As one senior Liberal MP put it: "This is politics."
The highly anticipated Liberal leadership challenge by Andrew Hastie has ended in disarray, with the Western Australian politician pulling out of the contest just days before it was supposed to take place. The news comes as a surprise, given that Hastie had been quietly building support for his bid and had seen himself as the obvious choice to succeed Sussan Ley as leader.
While Hastie's decision not to run is unlikely to come as a shock to many, it does raise questions about what was the point of all the speculation in the first place. The question on everyone's lips now is: so what happens next?
Hastie's leadership challenge had been months in the making, with the former Special Air Service soldier laying out his nationalist vision for the country, which included a focus on energy, immigration, and manufacturing. However, despite his efforts to build support, it seems that Hastie never really gained the traction he needed to take on Ley.
The truth is that Hastie's social views were always going to be a major hurdle for him. His stance on abortion, in particular, has been seen as too extreme by some of his moderate colleagues. And while he may have had the blessing of some right-wing MPs, including Angus Taylor, it's unlikely that enough of them would have backed him to become leader.
Taylor, who was reportedly in secret talks with Hastie about a potential partnership, has since announced that he will launch a formal bid for the leadership himself. While it's difficult to predict how the party room will respond, one thing is certain: the Coalition is on the brink of another leadership crisis.
For now, Sussan Ley remains at the helm, but her position is far from secure. Hastie's decision not to run has dealt a significant blow to her chances of retaining the top job, and it's likely that she will have to navigate a series of challenges in the coming weeks and months.
As for Hastie, his future in the party remains uncertain. While he's made clear that he won't be contesting the leadership challenge again, some of his supporters are hopeful that he'll have another opportunity to run. For now, however, it seems that politics has once again gotten in the way of his ambitions.
In a nutshell, Hastie's decision not to run is a reminder that politics is often unpredictable and that nothing is ever as certain as it seems. As one senior Liberal MP put it: "This is politics."
. It's always hard when you're running against someone who's been in the role for so long, and Sussan Ley has done a great job as leader so far.
. It's like one door closes and another opens, but in this case, I'm not sure if Taylor has what it takes to be leader.
. We'll have to wait and see how the party room responds to Taylor's bid for leadership. One thing's for sure, it's going to be an interesting few weeks and months ahead 
.
I mean, who needs all that drama and tension in the party? It's overrated, if you ask me. And honestly, I think Sussan Ley dodged a bullet 
- it's not like she was going to win or anything anyway. Plus, with Taylor throwing his hat into the ring now, things are about to get really interesting 
. It's time for some fresh blood in the party and I think Taylor has the right vibe for it 
. And can we please just forget about Hastie's social views? Who cares about that stuff, right? 
but seriously, angus taylor is now in the running to lead the party? that's a whole other can of worms...
what a bummer 
, i mean i was kinda excited to see hastie take on ley 
. like, hastie's views were always gonna be a major hurdle for him 
and it's hard to imagine him winning over some of his moderates 
. ley's still in charge but i'm not sure how long that'll last 
!
u guys think its so cool when politicians just up & down without even having 2 a decent plan lol? Andrew Hastie had been buildin support 4 months but somehow he still ended up not runnin 
that sounds like a recipe 4 disaster to me 
anyway, his social views were always gonna be a problem. like, who wants an abortion ban in australia? not many ppl, that's fer sure 
politics is wild, fam! 
! I mean, I thought for sure he had the whole country convinced with his nationalist vibe, but I guess not 
.
. And Hastie's just over here trying to figure out his next move, which I guess is a pretty normal Tuesday for him