The " Fear Factor " !

This week a curious thing happened in the Australian Parliament.  It was a closing session and the routine was being settled on the voices when an astute member of the Opposition noticed the numbers on the government benches were thin - and called for a division.

The government lacked the numbers to prevail and it was defeated on the floor of a chamber in which it held government.  It was not a political disaster, but it was a major embarrassment and it threw the spotlight on leader Malcolm Turnbull's leadership.   Some compared it to a fractious schoolroom under the control of an incompetent new teacher when the bell signals class end.

It seems that senior ministers took an early mark and obviously the party whips who must ensure that the numbers are correct at all times did not do their jobs properly.   This breach of party discipline had the wise heads of party elders seeking a solution.

Politics and business share a common leadership need.    Whoever sits at the top of the management pyramid needs to exercise a "fear factor ".This certainly manifested itself during the years that the Liberal party held power in Australia.   During his long years in office Robert Gordon Menzies was referred to as "Ming the Merciless  " and his grip on power was absolute.  Any form of revolt against his policies was almost a death sentence and many a promising minister found himself on the back bench.     On retirement, his successors - Harold Holt and Billy McMahon lacked that "fear factor "- and governed accordingly.

Then came the John Howard years.  It took time for Howard to accumulate that "fear factor " but he ran a disciplined party that was constantly reelected  The rank and file moved in lockstep with the leader.  The leader was astute at discerning the mood of the voting public and so the party enjoyede a long term in office.

Then Kevin Rudd burst onto the scene and offered completely new thinking.   It was a phenomenon that caught the public mood ans he swept into office only to lose focus and be replaced by Julia Gillard.  Tony Abbott took up the reigns of the Opposition and eventually wrested back government, but proved better as an "attack dog "than a prime minister.   In despair, the party replaced him as leader with Malcolm Turnbull.

Malcolm  Turnbull is an enigma.   His school years were brilliantly successful and he became a Rhodes Scholar.   He achieved business success and became a billionaire at a young age, before scaling the heights as a barrister in a legal action that defeated the best legal minds of the United Kingdom government.    Turnbull came to politics as one of the richest men in Australia, a public figure that simply defined success in every venture he had chosen.

The question many people ask - is what does he hope to achieve as a politician ? It seems obvious that he has no intention of offering anything other than government by consensus.   He shows no indications of using his authority as leader to instill a "fear factor " to instill immediate compliance from subordinates.  Policy now seems to be the play thing of the factions.

Unfortunately, the time factor is not moving in Australia's favour.   We live in a fractious world of changing military alliances and our economy is in urgent need of a re-set.  The recent election indicated that the voters are disenchanted with both the major political, parties and we may see the "Balkinization " of splinter parties emerging to create endless divisions.

Malcolm Turnbull needs to take the reigns and assert his authority as prime minister and implement sound policies - or step aside and make way for a new leader prepared to us the "fear factor " to implement the hard decisions that are so clearly needed !