"Malcolm retains a great zest for public service and I am sure he will continue to contribute to the public life of our country."                                

Mr Turnbull said he had decided not to bring on a by-election by resigning from parliament at the end of last year.

"When I ceased to be leader of the opposition at the end of last year I resolved that I would not precipitate a by-election by resigning from parliament," he said.

"However I did say that I would reflect carefully on whether I would run at the election this year and having done so I am making this announcement."

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Leaving the Liberal party to the rabid-right rats...

Federal Opposition Leader Tony Abbott will this morning begin a nine-day bike ride between Melbourne and Sydney, just 10 days after finishing an ironman triathlon.

Coalition frontbencher and fellow cycling enthusiast Kevin Andrews is also taking part in the 1,000-kilometre Pollie Pedal event and says he will be pushed by his leader.

"Tony is very fit. He's always very enthusiastic and he's always hard to beat up a hill," he said.

Some government ministers have criticised Mr Abbott for spending so much time exercising.

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The next legs of this triathlon for this fit opposition leader are to swim across to Antartica... then to run in bodgie-mugglers to the south pole and do angel wings in the melting snow... Abbott is expected there by April first 2020.

From Malcolm Turnbull at the SMH

Politics is a rough game and while losing the leadership hurt, I will not retire bitter.

WHEN the Liberal Party room replaced me as its leader, by a margin of one vote, I resolved immediately I would not resign from Parliament and trigger a byelection.

I did say, however, I would reflect carefully on whether I would run again at the election in 2010 and I have decided I will not recontest Wentworth at this year's election.

It has been a difficult decision to make, the most difficult of my life. It is a personal decision, one that can only be made by me and my family, without whose unstinting love, patience and humour my political journey would not have been possible.

The last five years have been a wild ride, filled with achievements and disappointments. Losing the leadership was heartbreaking, but while political leaders will come and go, the threat of global warming will not.

For several years there was a bipartisan consensus that Australia should start to cut its carbon dioxide emissions and do so by an efficient market-based mechanism which put a cap on emissions and allowed the market to set a carbon price. The first legislation establishing the framework for the emissions trading scheme was introduced into the Parliament by me, as John Howard's environment minister. The Coalition's recent change in policy has ended that consensus.

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 Sad, sad, sad...

from the master of maybe maybe not...

...

A successful businessman has likely spent a long part of his working life outside politics. It's harder to adjust to parliamentary life at 50 than it is at 30. The number of people who enter politics later - from whatever occupation - and go on to have successful careers as senior ministers is tiny. Whether it be rock stars or ABC journalists, the stage is littered with underachievers. Starting later means you have less time to wait out the victories and defeats - the thrills and the spills - that are part of any political career.

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Gus: politics is like being an artist... One has to be master of illusions, except for pollies being paid (poorly as it maybe) for it. In order to survive many artists have to prostitute their brushes a bit like pollies join a "party"... Few artists though have that gift of the gab nor the will to "conform" thus many disappear in the gutter of their own minds... But even older pollies and artists can cut through the cheese. Age has nothing to do with it...

FORMER Liberals leader Malcolm Turnbull is seriously reconsidering his decision to quit politics.

The Liberal push to convince the former leader to stay on in the seat of Wentworth has intensified in the past few days with internal polling from both sides of politics showing Mr Turnbull is the Liberals' best chance of retaining the marginal seat.

Although Mr Turnbull is overseas, he has been in regular contact with party figures discussing his future - and a possible about-face on his decision to retire.

The Sunday Telegraph can reveal Mr Turnbull is genuinely contemplating running again and will reveal his decision when he returns to Sydney next weekend.

Former Opposition leader Malcolm Turnbull has announced he will no longer be retiring from politics and will contest this year's federal election.

Mr Turnbull announced on his website in early April that he would quit federal politics at the next election, but backed down from that decision today after being urged by several Coalition colleagues to reconsider the decision.

Mr Turnbull told media in Sydney this morning he had withdrawn his resignation and will be contesting his Sydney seat of Wentworth at this year's election.

He says the Rudd Government is one of the worst Australia has ever seen, and that its "gutless" stance on climate change influenced his decision to stay on.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/05/01/2887724.htm

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Gus: note that the Rudd gutless stance is due to Malcolm not having been able to hold on to his leadership in a winnable ballot and be replaced by Tony the Menace... May be he should join the other party... Meanwhile the other gutlesses are the greens who should have voted for the ETS...

Opposition frontbencher Malcolm Turnbull has thanked John Howard for encouraging him to remain in Federal Parliament.

In the first extract from his autobiography, the former prime minister says he spoke to Mr Turnbull shortly after his decision to resign earlier this year.

Mr Turnbull says Mr Howard was one of many people who convinced him to stay on.

"I thank John for all the advice he's given me over the years," he said.

"When I said I was going to retire from Parliament, many people, thousands of people in fact encouraged me to stay.

"Obviously John was one of them and a very influential one he was too."

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/10/21/3044315.htm?section=justin

See toon at top...