Malcolm Turnbull vows to crush defector Cory Bernardi, by David Crowe.

The government launched a sustained attack on Senator Bernardi yesterday by challenging him to explain how he could desert Liberal voters only eight months after using their support to secure a six-year term in the upper house.

Commenter Peter:

The Bernadi effect is already doing Australia (and the Coalition) a favour.  Without him and Hanson, it would be the same old Malcolm, snoozing along until a landslide defeat. From some of the articles I have read in the past few days, it seems he has started listening at last.

Commenter Ken:

The  person who breached the faith with Conservatives  was not Cory Bernardi – it was Malcolm Turnbull with the fawning help of Julie Bishop when they removed the person for whom we had voted as PM  and who won the election by 25 seats. … We did and still do not approve of those underhand methods  he used to achieve his goal and will not be returning whilst he remains as PM. We are joining Cory Bernardi’s Party a Party true to Conservative ideals.

hat-tip Stephen Neil