The Liberals’ fatal flaw was becoming Nationals-lite. Here’s how they can come back from the brink

Liberal leader Sussan Ley and Nationals leader David Littleproud. ‘Over the past decade, the Nationals have increasingly become the tail wagging the dog when it comes to its Liberal party partners,’ writes Tony Barry. Photograph: Sitthixay Ditthavong/AAP

The Liberal party are now a movement in search of a purpose.

In its halcyon days during the Howard government, the Coalition enjoyed a strong lead over Labor on economic management in all public polling. And while the Howard government also typically held leads over Labor on national security and immigration, the foundation of their electoral success was its differentiation from Labor on economic management which was the most salient issue among swing voters.