from politicoz ….

Tony Abbott is struggling to adapt to life after the carbon tax. As Laura Tingle points out today, "There has long been a fear in Coalition ranks that behind the ruthless effectiveness of the 'stop the tax, stop the boats' Abbott attack, there may lurk a more chaotic machine." Abbott has done little in the past fortnight to dispel this fear.

His foreign policy statements on China and the US were widely criticised; his comments on free speech were contradictory, calling for free speech to protect Andrew Bolt but greater regulation of social media; and when he gave the carbon tax as the sole reason for higher power prices, even his own party spokesman failed to back him.

Parliament starts again next week, and the pressure will be on Abbott to maintain the Coalition's strong lead. While he does, the media and general public will continue to gloss over the implausibility of the Coalition's current platform (read Tim Dunlop for a strong take on this issue). But if the ALP claws its way back in any significant way, Abbott will need to either watch his back or change his modus operandi.

The federal opposition's scare campaign against the carbon tax has failed its first test. The Bureau of Statistics reports that seasonally adjusted employment rose by 14,000 in July - the month the tax took effect - while unemployment fell to 5.2 per cent...

A position against the carbon tax alone will not get the Coalition through the next 12 months, or through the first year of government. The shakiness of Abbott’s performance in the past couple of weeks when he has had to deal with issues other than the carbon tax has been particularly notable in a week when the Prime Minister has returned from holidays on the front foot.

In an era where the media is under genuine pressure to perform the most basic of its functions as a reporter of national politics, Tony Abbott is a heaven-sent content-generating machine. He understands perfectly that in the cash-strapped world of modern media.