Long-serving former LNP MP Vaughan Johnson on Sunday said even though he supported the LNP merger in 2008, he now believed it was a mistake. "This isn't just recently,” Mr Johnson said. “I've been talking to my former and current colleagues for a long while. This has got to change." This graph below shows the declining vote of both major parties - the ALP and the LNP - and, before the LNP merger, the separate Liberal and National parties.

Dr Williams said the figures showed the issue of again separating the Liberals and the Nationals needs to be debated. “It is inevitable that is comes back on the agenda,” he said. “There is nothing like defeat to raise old tensions and finger-pointing." Dr Williams said the merger of the Liberals and the National was always an uncomfortable marriage. “They come from completely different classes. One is an agrarian class, one is a city class. One is a party of merchants, one is a party of farmers,” he said.

“With the Nationals there were both working farmers and middle class. With the Liberals they were always middle class. On almost every level, they are different.” The LNP’s current leadership team includes Tim Nicholls, the city-based MP from the Liberal heartland of Clayfield and Deb Frecklington, Nanango’s MP near Kingaroy, former Nationals territory. Queensland Opposition Leader Tim Nicholls with deputy leader Deb Frecklington (left) after speaking at the LNP's election night function. Credit:AAP/Tracey Nearmy At the 2015 election, the LNP’s leadership team was Campbell Newman from Ashgrove and Callide MP Jeff Seeney, from Monto. In 2017, both Ms Frecklington and Mr Seeney’s successor Colin Boyce, held their seat for the LNP, however One Nation polled 27 per cent in both these electorates.

“And it was the same in 1998,” Dr Williams said. “This time around Labor has lost far fewer votes to One Nation, far fewer than I thought." Dr Williams said he was surprised Labor had a chance of winning Pumicestone and the seats around Townsville. “So Labor voters have not been as enamoured of One Nation as old National Party voters have been.” Dr Williams said a major party could forge an identity that appealed to both rural and city voters - similar to the federal Coalition - but he said it was hard.

“So many of the ‘south-east versus the bush’ policy positions are diametrically opposed,” he said. “Cross River Rail is a classic example. If there is only $6 million to spend on infrastructure for example, why are you going to spend it all in Brisbane?” “And the LNP are stuck between a rock and a hard place, trying to appeal to both the city and the bush.” Dr Williams said it was worth debating “dividing” the Liberals and the Nationals once again so they could speak to their “constituency”. “It could be the same cabinet, but they would be saying two different things to two different constituencies.

“That’s what Sir Joh did; that’s what Frank Nicklin did. That’s what you do in Queensland politics.” A number of high-profile conservative MPs were sought for comment, but were unavailable on Sunday. Campbell Newman chats with LNP colleague Vaughan Johnson at Emerald airport. Credit:Renee Melides On Sunday, Mr Johnson said there was anger in the Nationals camp about the failings of south-east Queensland Liberals at Saturday's state election, and about what the 2008 merger had done in heartland Nationals territory. "There's been a lot of bullshit for a long time about what's going on, not only in Queensland, but in the federal sphere and the way the regions have been treated by the hierarchy of the party," he said.