Who would have thought that I would ever be hoping for a Scott Morrison success?

After months of insecurity and a terrible week in Canberra, there is now a new Prime Minister and it is not Peter Dutton.

For me, there has been some delayed remembered trauma from our Labor internal disruptions prior to July 2013 and it has been reflected in the behaviour of the LNP senators across the chamber.

Leadership challenges are painful, personal and exhausting.

Linda Reynolds from Western Australia bravely expressed her frustration with the bullying and pressure of the process, and her frustration that the current LNP was not the party she knows and has served for many years.

The ‘flexibility’ of people who had been deeply involved in the overturn of Abbott by Turnbull less than three years ago and who were now instrumental in getting votes for Peter Dutton exemplified the desperation of a party deeply divided on policy, in loyalties driven by the fear of imminent election loss.

The latter is a particularly difficult concept for the LNP to grasp with their overwhelming belief in their right to rule and that any Labor victory is an aberration.

Throughout this week’s long assassination of Malcolm Turnbull, the greatest threat from the protagonists was a possible Bill Shorten government.

It is difficult to see how the newly warm and cuddly Scott Morrison can unite a deeply riven government.

Again, the strongly conservative elements of the party, enraged by energy policies , despite the emasculation of a series of plans by Turnbull in an effort to appease them, upset by social policies such as same sex marriage and their feelings of being ignored since the defeat of Tony Abbott, have almost taken the leadership.

I cannot believe that Scott Morrison is now seen as moderate.