Judging by the hundreds of emails and telephone calls I have received, it is fair to say that I share the disappointment of so many conservatives with the current state of politics.
Ditching a first term Prime Minister is an unprecedented step for the sensible side of politics. Frankly, I thought we were better than that.
To be honest, the change in personality in the top job is less important to me than the principle.
However, it seems we have been sucked into the same vortex of poll-driven opportunism and ‘whatever it takes’ mentality that afflicts the Labor Party.
Once in the whirlpool it is very, very difficult to drag yourself out. And yet we must.
We know the stakes are very high. The future direction of the nation is on the line and we simply cannot allow Labor to gain government again.
My heart goes out to Tony Abbott. Like us all, he isn’t perfect but he is a darned good bloke and tried his best to be a good PM. Underneath the blanket of critical media coverage, his government actually achieved a great deal.
On a number of occasions I called him out when I thought the government was headed in the wrong direction. But over the past couple of months I got the sense things were back on track.
He suffered the treachery and disloyalty that seems to be the stock in trade of the politically ambitious and in the end, paid the ultimate political price.
We now have a new leader who, whilst professing a different perspective of liberalism, won the support of a clear majority of the Party room. That alone has to be respected, even if the process was unsettling for many of us.
It remains to be seen how the electorate will view the change but one assumes there will be a quick bounce in the polls which I sincerely hope can be sustained.
More concerning is the damage done to public opinion of politics in general. Events such as those of last night play right into the hands of people already sceptical of self-serving politicians and political parties.
I have warned of the risks of this repeatedly over the years and it gives me no pleasure to see another step in the process.
However, through it all I will not abandon my commitment to common-sense conservatism and will continue to hand out the bouquets and brickbats as deserved.
I remain committed to the founding values of the Liberal Party, our nation and the integrity of the political process.
I know many of you share that commitment and I promise to do my best on your behalf.
Cory Bernardi is the author of seven books and has been a member of the Australian rowing team, a publican, an investment portfolio manager and spent nearly 14 years as an Australian Senator.
