Erratic, egocentric, divisive: Turnbull not suited to leadership, by Maurice Newman.

Successful leaders have empathy and a common touch. They are appropriately humble and are willing to bury the hatchet. They manage expectations and inspire trust. Good leaders can handle pressure and are even-tempered.

Above all, they are deliberate and their judgment is invariably sound. They know when to hold and when to fold.

Turnbull’s experience in business appears not to have prepared him for the sheer scale and complexity of politics, particularly government. He seems to be erratic, egocentric and divisive. His supersized ministry suggests people-management issues. His vacillation over Kevin Rudd’s UN candidacy is symptomatic of a chairman not in command of his cabinet. When careful reflection is needed, he finds a television program all that is required to immediately order a royal commission into juvenile detention in the Northern Territory.

Personal qualities aside, there is the further complication that this Prime Minister is a “progressive” liberal in a party that traditionally has been centre-Right, when the country desperately needs a fundamental change in philosophical direction.