Peter Dutton pledged last year we would see a different side of the abrasive and unforgiving characteristics needed to accompany the tough guy portfolios he’d occupied over a decade of ministerial office.

Instead he’s shown us an even more arrogant streak, unaccompanied by either necessity or authority. Pity, because that other side exists even if it’s too rarely visible.

His nuclear power play is accompanied by arrogant insistence that everyone must get on board with a policy that is uncosted, has limited engineering or scientific backing and even more limited political support.

If the Australian electorate reacts to arrogance in its usual form, it will mean a short life for nuclear power and a shortened life for Dutton’s long and deeply held ambition to be our national leader.

Dutton’s approach is arrogant on five levels: Firstly, he insists that the elected party of government must change its policy to suit his preference. Ahem, he is not a member of that government which has long-standing antipathy to nuclear proliferation so where does he get off insisting it change its policy – something even long-term and high-ranking Labor members have not........

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