Catherine McGregor says Tony Abbott 'consumed' by Malcolm Turnbull
One of Tony Abbott's closest allies Catherine McGregor says the former prime minister has become consumed by Malcolm Turnbull.
Ms McGregor, a transgender writer and broadcaster, told ABC's Q&A overnight she had advised Mr Abbott to "shut up" ahead of his attacks on his own government this month.
She said she had given her close friend "the benefit of the doubt after it looked like he'd rallied over Christmas" before witnessing an "unrelenting disaster" the last fortnight.
"I've known Tony for about 35 years," she said.
"I would say two things in his defence. One: he's a person of great magnanimity. He doesn't hold grudges.
"But I do think he has lost balance over Malcolm Turnbull.
"I think he's consumed by that and, sometimes, he's not the best self that he's capable of."
Ms McGregor said "rumours of the death" of her friendship with Mr Abbott had been "grossly exaggerated" after the pair were publicly at odds during last year's same-sex marriage debate.
"We had some cross words … and (that relationship was) big enough to contain harsh words on either side," she said.
Ms McGregor said she wasn't breaking a confidence with Mr Abbott to reveal she had given advice to her friend to "shut up" and avoid certain media outlets. She also told him he should try to emulate Paul Keating who, after failing to take down Bob Hawke, "made the party come to him".
Mr Abbott last week came under fire after from fellow Liberal MPs when the former prime minister called for Australia's permanent migration intake to be slashed by 80,000 places per year to 110,000.
After being slapped down by senior figures in the party, Mr Abbott on Friday called for respect in a blistering attack where he said he was qualified to offer advice to the government, and that ministers should take it.
"But for my efforts in 2010 and 2013, (Malcolm) Turnbull wouldn't be in office and his ministers wouldn't be in office, so I think they should listen with a degree of respect," Mr Abbott told 2GB.
"They are not such geniuses they are the possessors of all political and economic wisdom."
Mr Abbott also penned an opinion piece for The Australian naming and shaming his critics, including Acting Prime Minister Mathias Cormann.
The former PM said he wasn't going to "cop gratuitous criticism" by letting his colleagues take pot shots.
"You'd think a government that's lost the past 27 Newspolls might be curious about how it could lift its game," Mr Abbott wrote.
https://www.9news.com.au/national/2...onsumed-by-malcolm-turnbull-shut-up-abc-qanda
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