OPINION
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Perception is reality in politics.
And a perception exists in Canberra - be it fact or fiction - that the local Liberals are controlled by their right wing, a cabal of hardline conservatives defined, among other things, by their opposition to climate action and marriage equality.
In a city which led the nation in voting Yes in the same-sex marriage survey, and wears its green energy achievements as a badge of honour, this is not a positive perception.
It's a perception which threatens to torpedo any hopes the Canberra Liberals might have of unseating Labor at what should be a winnable election on October 17.
This is the context which frames, and partly explains, Alistair Coe's decision to act so swiftly to dump candidate Peter McKay after reports emerged that he believed the Welcome to Country ceremony should be "condemned", and that the ACT's "homosexual Chief Minister" had somehow influenced a police investigation.
Mr Coe said Mr McKay's comments did not accord with the standard he expected of his Liberal team.
"This prompt and decisive action underscores the seriousness in which I have taken this matter," the opposition leader said in a statement.
Prior to the candidate's sacking, Chief Minister Andrew Barr - the target of one of Mr McKay's attacks - said the comments were a "sad reflection" of the Canberra Liberals' values.
Labor and Mr Barr need no invitation to criticise the Liberals' conservative leanings. It's a vote winner.
In that context, Mr Coe's statement was not just an announcement of the swift sacking of a candidate, but an attempt to banish a nagging, potentially election-defining, perception.
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Mr Coe can't escape the fact that he opposed marriage equality, or that the party's other two figureheads - senator Zed Seselja and campaign director Josh Manuatu - are conservatives. But he can attempt to distance his team from the type of fringe right-wing views espoused by Mr McKay.
The overwhelming majority of the Liberals in the Legislative Assembly would be appalled by Mr McKay's comments, much less share them.
But those out campaigning this week in Canberra's suburbs will nevertheless be tarred with the ramblings of his frankly bizarre submission.
An opinion poll this week showed the Liberals' primary vote ahead of Labor's, albeit not by enough to win.
But there is a quiet confidence internally that the Liberals can piggyback Prime Minister Scott Morrison's newfound popularity all the way to election victory on October 17.
But if they want to end 20 years on the opposition benches, the Liberals know they have to convince swinging voters to side with them.
The type of voter who might want to see the back of Labor and Andrew Barr, but have nagging doubts about supporting a party they perceive to be controlled by fringe-dwellers on the far right.
The Liberals' enjoyed their longest stint in government with a moderate leader - Kate Carnell - at the helm.
Sticking to the centre, or at least appearing to, might be Mr Coe's best shot at leading the Liberals out of doldrums of opposition.
Perception matters.
In politics, it is reality.