This has no basis in fact. It is not going to happen. There is no rift between the Prime Minister and the Treasurer who has to confront the growing debt and deficit. Similarly, given that we now live with the Credlin phenomenon, there is media speculation that Credlin will seek a seat in federal Parliament in 2015. This, too, has no basis in fact. The complex machinery that would need to turn for that to happen is not turning. The problem with the Credlin phenomenon is that the very existence of the Credlin Phenomenon is a problem. There is a sense in the Prime Minister's office that all the attention the chief of staff is getting stems from the Canberra press gallery's constant desire for a big scalp, and getting at Credlin is a way of spilling Abbott's blood. This, too, is fact-free speculation. There is no informal campaign against Credlin within the Canberra press gallery. The gallery is not self-generating these stories. The leaks are real. The poor opinion polls are real.

The bubbling up of material about Credlin is a response to the enormous power she holds within the Abbott government. And the manner in which she exercises that power. It is coming from within government. The stories have an overall theme, that her control is a key factor in the rigidity of Abbott since he became Prime Minister, following the path of Julia Gillard, who went from robust to robotic after she assumed the prime ministership. She lasted one term. Abbott has been wrapped in a tightly woven message. He refers to Credlin as "the boss". Unlike his predecessor Kevin Rudd, he is well liked within his government and not seen as a control freak. That black hat is worn by Credlin. Personal disclaimer: I've met Credlin several times and the occasions have been entirely positive and pleasant. Beyond those occasions we've had almost no contact. I regard her as a formidable political intellect whose grasp of politics is unusually wide, extending to policy, planning, procedure, drafting, tactics and media. No one in the government works harder than Credlin, a view Credlin herself certainly shares. It is remarkable that she has been chief of staff or deputy chief of staff to three consecutive Liberal leaders, Brendan Nelson, Malcolm Turnbull and Abbott.

But since coming to power she has ruffled so many feathers, so often, within the government that the government itself is pushing back. Hence the Credlin Phenomenon. There are three main elements: She is widely perceived within cabinet as exercising too much power, in effect operating, day-to-day, as co-prime minister. She is widely perceived in the party room as running a presidential-style government in which the party room is largely excluded and even the ministry is kept on a tight rein. The Prime Minister's Office itself is a famously tense zone, not because of the Prime Minister, who is easy to work with, and because of the pressure-cooker of leadership, but because of the driving nature of Credlin's management and personality. All this has generated the restlessness now rippling out in the widening circles of the Credlin Phenomenon.

The Prime Minister, because of loyalty, and because he sees first-hand the prodigious workload of his chief of staff, would be aware of the phenomenon but probably not the scale of it. The upswelling of discontent has come from within his own government, not the press gallery. That is something Abbott might want to ponder during his summer break, as he retools his message to the electorate, and his leadership of the parliamentary soldiers. Twitter: @Paul_Sheehan_