AT 8.56 last night Malcolm Turnbull strode into the Opposition party room for a press conference as if nothing at all untoward had transpired.
No extraordinary eight-hour Coalition party room meeting.
No attacks on his stance on the Federal Government's emissions trading legislation from dozens of his backbenchers, from his own emissions trading spokesman and from the Liberal Party's coalition partners from the bush.
No swirling rumours of walk-outs by the leader, demands for apologies and imminent leadership spills. Just a political victory for the Opposition, according to its leader.
"The Opposition has today saved tens of thousands of Australian jobs, protected vital industries and secured energy supplies by forcing significant substantial improvements to the Rudd Government's emissions trading scheme," a jubilant Turnbull declared.
"This demonstrates our commitment, our genuine and sincere commitment, to action on climate change."
That may be the political message the former investment banker is determined to sell, but the reality was markedly different: Turnbull's survival prospects were dealt a swingeing blow by yesterday's internal Liberal Party meltdown.
Earlier in the day, as question time was unfolding in Parliament, Turnbull had cut a strangely isolated and distracted figure. He played little active part in the daily ritual of Opposition questions to the Federal Government.
He exchanged some pleasantries with the Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd. At one point he even pulled out a blank sheet of paper and started writing down a list of names in two columns - presumably a list of supporters and opponents in the Coalition joint party room. It seemed a little late to be doing the numbers.
But then he always set little store on the conventional approach to politics, subscribing more to the Whitlamite "crash through or crash" theory.
After entering Parliament at the 2004 federal election, Turnbull was fast-tracked into cabinet by John Howard.
As environment minister he threw himself into the policy debate over climate change, which became one of the main issues that cost the Coalition government in 2007.
Turnbull entered Opposition convinced the Liberal Party needed to turn around voter perceptions it was part of the problem on climate change rather than part of the solution.
When he defeated Brendan Nelson for the Liberal leadership in September last year, it was clear Turnbull was set on jettisoning what he saw as the policy baggage of the Howard era in climate change.
He kicked some initial tactical goals in his assault on Labor, yet struggled to "cut through" against the Government in the polls.
He rallied his troops with his decision to block the Government's economic stimulus package. But then came the Godwin Grech affair, which blew up in Turnbull's face.
The damage prompted critics inside the Liberal Party to start questioning his judgement. This legitimised a strand of internal dissent which has since escalated into full-scale revolt, culminating in yesterday's party room meeting.
At the close of business last night, asked whether a majority of his colleagues opposed the deal with the Government on emissions trading, Turnbull responded: "I'm the leader, I've made the call."
Those words could still spell out his epitaph.
Email a friend