About the same time Barnaby Joyce was not appearing on Q&A, Australians were largely not digesting an opinion poll from that morning that made diabolical reading. Most simply, it was diabolical for our major political leaders, both of whom are plumbing historic depths of unpopularity and disapproval.

More broadly, though, this whole snapshot is diabolical for the very idea of Australian political culture. Our disillusionment with politics is now complete. It is real. It is not mere nostalgia for a better time that never existed. It is a kind of socialised disgust at the cynical offering with which voters are now stuck. Joyce's forced boycott (and now, Malcolm Turnbull's) partly explains this nadir.

Illustration: Simon Letch.

Not because democracy cannot function without Q&A, or even that Q&A cannot function without the Coalition. But because a cabinet boycott of this kind symbolises the state of civil debate in this country; a debate now so thoroughly decomposed it barely resembles its origins as the central pillar of democracy. This saga stands as an emblem for the way in which we do public discourse.

Both major parties contribute to this mess, though in opposite ways. The Coalition pursues niche convictions that have little to do with public sentiment; Labor pursues public sentiment but with little conviction. What neither do is engage us on contentious matters of importance, and mount a coherent, sustained argument. They will try to outrage us – preferably directing that rage towards their foes. They will try to assuage us. But they almost never try to persuade us.