Tony Abbott is still Prime Minister, after surviving an attempt by rebellious Liberal MPs to unseat him.  The motion to dump Abbott, which was moved up to early this morning from the original Tuesday plan, was defeated 39-to-61 against vacating the party’s top two positions.

“The result is very clear,” said the government’s chief whip, Philip Ruddock.

Disgruntled backbenchers grew impatient after 18-months of feeling brushed aside.  The Liberal unrest grew over the past several months, sparked by a budget in May that was widely criticized as unfair.  The Queensland election went poorly for the Liberal National coalition.  And then there was Tony’s decision to award a knighthood to Prince Philip on Australia Day, a gaffe that Western Australia MP Luke Simpkins said was “the final proof of (Abbott’s) disconnection with the people”.

A poll taken before the spill vote points to even more problems for Abbott.  The News Corp (ugh) poll says Abbott’s approval rating has fallen nine points to 24 percent.  And there are some pundits who disagree with Ruddock, and believe that in surviving the challenge Abbott is merely delaying the inevitable.  With more than half the backbench voting to dump him, his authority is now mortally wounded, and and it’ll only be a matter of time before they come for him again – only with greater numbers \.