Tony Abbott came to the prime ministership lauded as the most effective leader of the opposition since Whitlam. Why then did he fail to succeed in the job to which he had aspired for decades Frontbenchers leaked about cabinet processes to the media while backbenchers complained about the lack of access to their leader.?

Abbott's long apprenticeship in religion, journalism and political life prepared him for neither the mundane business of managing people nor the commanding heights of national leadership. Public?goodwill evaporated after a tough first budget. Inside the Liberal Party...