The necessary Party purge that never arrives

What's been clear for more than a decade is that the Coalition needs to purge itself of the climate change denying rump that cannot be reasoned with because they disbelieve the science underlying a really important policy area, and cannot be placated unless policy endorses their disbelief.

My impression is that the climate change denialists have lessened in number and overall influence,  but their dimwitted supporters in the Liberal base are feeling energised by the temporary political win of their nonsense in the US.   And besides, it's incredibly easy to cause destabilisation in a government with a wafer thin majority.

It's disappointing that Malcolm Turnbull cannot bring himself to instigate the necessary purge, at least for the Liberals. I'm a bit torn as to whether I would prefer to see him stagger on, or resign on principle.   Neither are satisfactory, and he will never be  viewed as a very significant Prime Minister unless he does come out swinging and tell the wrecking denialists (and their backers in the Murdoch press, talkback radio and the Rinehart front known as the IPA) that they are simply wrong and need to get out of the Party.