The Turnbull Skitterwagon

The year was 2015. Bob and Annette were in the market for a new car. Not that there was anything wrong with their old car, a sturdy Coalition Conservative, but they just felt in need of an upgrade. Perhaps something a little more luxurious, for longer trips.

So Bob and Annette drove down to their local Coalition car dealer, where they’d been buying their cars for decades. It was a fine retailer with a very solid reputation for value and honesty.

Tim Blair’s column appears in every edition of Quadrant.
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Buyers never felt swindled when buying a Coalition. Sure, some of their models may have lacked a little in style, but they made up for that with market-leading reliability.

But when the couple arrived, they discovered that their trusted car dealership had been transformed. Gone were the building’s muted greys and blues, replaced by bright stripes and neon arrows. Workers were at that very moment installing a new sign above the dealership’s doors:…