John Howard joins Tony Abbott in campaigning against same-sex marriage, by Dennis Shanahan.

The old “no” team of Tony Abbott and John Howard, who worked together­ in 1999 to soundly defeat the republican referendum against all the odds, will reunite to campaign against same-sex marriage in the postal plebiscite.

And their old republican foe, Malcolm Turnbull, will be on the other side again, with the odds in his favour “encouraging Australians to vote yes”.

Although neither former prime minister has plotted out their part in a campaign for traditional marriage­, which will be run by the Marriage Alliance group, both entered­ the lists yesterday. …

Mr Abbott, who conducted the No vote against the republic in 1999 for the Australians for a Constitutional Monarchy, urged people­ to vote against same-sex marriage if they didn’t support it and said: “If you’re worried about religious freedom and freedom of speech, vote no. If you don’t like political correctness, vote no.”

hat-tip Stephen Neil