In Chess, the Bishop is prized for its capacity to move as far as needed, "but only diagonally" meaning it is dangerous to the other side without rivalling its King or Queen. The rules state that "each bishop starts on one colour and must always stay on that colour".

There's no danger of Julie Bishop changing colours. Nor it seems, of her seeking to move vertically (in either direction) any time soon.

But when the doughty deputy Liberal leader spoke on Sunday at the official campaign launch of the Turnbull Coalition government, she showed why she is so valuable to the Liberal party cause, and why she is widely viewed as a gold-standard electoral asset on the conservative side.