Malcolm is almost the perfect reflection of media opinion. He is like blotting paper, soaking up every conventional opinion without any actual apparent ability to think for himself. He is a non-entity in the Barack Obama mould, filled with vapid thoughts and a high opinion of his own abilities and intellect that is never at any stage reflected in anything he says or any action he takes.

He apparently won on the promise that he would not change any of the more contentious compromises Abbott had been able to meld, which is to say, he won promising not to do the very things that he wants to do, and which the media will look to him to do. The Great Communicator he is not. He is a shallow and pompous blowhard. If there is more to him, we will find out. If there isn’t, the 54 fools who backed him into the Lodge will perhaps regret what they have done, but in the meantime will have caused great harm to this country, while not even saving a single Parliamentary seat.

AND CONTINUING: The one opinion I was interested in was Tim Blair’s.

UPDATE III. The winner and new Prime Minister: Malcolm Turnbull, by 54 to 44 votes. Julie Bishop elected deputy. Disaster.

OK Malcolm. It’s now up to you to show us we were wrong.