The important thing to remember about Tony Abbott is that nobody wanted him. Whenever he intervenes in public debate, this fact should overwhelm all others.
It was by accident that he was ever leader: a single vote, determined after Joe Hockey’s clod-handed intervention in the ballot. When Abbott won the 2013 election, he did so in spite of himself. The Coalition triumphed over his deep and sustained unpopularity.
Tony Abbott is a champion of lost causes, none more so than himself. When he joined the National Civic Council at university, the Democratic Labor Party was already a spent force. His first great political mentor, B. A. Santamaria, was preaching the end of days without realising that only his were over. Ever since, Abbott has given his life to failed institutions.
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