So that went well didn't it? The PM as Black Knight intoning sternly "None shall pass," and the government backbench as Patsy and Arthur, chopping off his arms and legs. Nonetheless, Tone is still there, squirting claret from his stumps and yelling across the chamber at Bill Shorten, "Have at you!"

It seems odd to me, as it must to the 85 per cent of you who don't believe Abbott will lead the government to the next election, why they didn't just take his head off and be done with it. We all know they will, at some time in the next six months.

The collapsing support of the electorate has now fed through into the party room. A couple of bribes promised for small business and young parents aren't enough to come back from this. The breach of trust is so great, the perception that these guys govern for themselves and the wealthy is so deeply entrenched that no amount of story telling is going to wipe it away.

John Howard had a problem with being perceived as mean and sneaky. Abbott has maxed that out to being thought of as cruel, dishonest, deceitful and stupidly arrogant in a pair of confronting budgie smugglers. Not bad for a year and a half.

Is there a way back?