Kathy Marks: Aussie PM blunders yet again

Tony Abbott. File photo / AP

For all his faults, and they were many, John Howard had a sure-fire ability to read the popular mood and act accordingly.

Tellingly, Howard has declined to comment on his protege Tony Abbott's bizarre decision to bestow one of his newfangled knighthoods on the Queen of England's 93-year-old husband.

Plenty of Abbott's own colleagues have had plenty to say, though. "We have gone down the rabbit hole with Alice," an unnamed Cabinet minister told commentator Peter Van Onselen. A Liberal MP damned the Prime Minister as "combining the judgment of Gillard with the madness of Rudd". Ouch.

Amid the lamentations of conservative commentators, and the truly dreadful headlines " "Abbott's Knightmare" screamed the Daily Telegraph " that word "judgment" stuck out. That's what Howard had in spades, and what Abbott, to an almost inconceivable degree, seems to lack. The Coalition had a terrible 2014, and most of the blame has been laid at the Prime Minister's feet. This year was supposed to be different. Abbott had pledged to consult more, and to sell the Government's policies more effectively. But a fortnight out from the start of the parliamentary year, the Coalition's fortunes are sliding.

Ministers and backbenchers were left totally in the dark about Abbott's decision to knight Prince Philip - just as they were about his much-mocked resurrection of Australian knights and dames last year. It's not surprising they are wondering how he could be so blind to the ridicule and political harm his latest move was bound to cause.

Add to that the damage caused by yet more backflips - over a revised version of the GP charge and the deregulation of university fees - plus a leak of Cabinet splits over the former and the situation looks dire indeed.

For now, no Coalition MP is suggesting Abbott could face a leadership challenge - but a number are hinting darkly that, as one put it, "these things can take on lives of their own". Certainly, Abbott is feeling rattled enough to publicly remind his colleagues of the perils of changing your party leader.

While the political fallout from Labor's brutal version of musical chairs will not soon be forgotten " and, for now, it's hard to conceive of Abbott being knifed Rudd-like " those events may have set a precedent. If the polls continue to suggest he is a liability, who knows what might happen? Julie Bishop is looking good, Joe Hockey less so. Scott Morrison is well thought of but not well liked. And Malcolm Turnbull?