On Australia Day last year, Tony Abbott notoriously bestowed a knighthood on Prince Philip, a move so unpopular it precipitated his demise as prime minister.
A year later, he announced he was staying on in Parliament, ostensibly to serve his electorate of Warringah. 
The decision was widely expected by Abbott's colleagues, both friend and foe, and the latter were quick to defuse any tension that may have been intended by publicly welcoming it.
"Yeah, good for Tony. The guy has been contributing to politics all his life, not just in Parliament and he is passionate about it and that is a good thing," said Scott Morrison, whom Abbott feels betrayed him more than most.
The timing of Abbott's decision places mild pressure on Malcolm Turnbull in the short term, in so far as it confirms Abbott's eligibility for a ministry in the forthcoming reshuffle. Through his proxy, Eric Abetz, Abbott declared on Monday he was available.
Turnbull, who is waiting for the dithering Nationals leader Warren Truss to announce whether he is staying or going before he can undertake the reshuffle, has no intention of making Abbott a minister, at least not this side of the election. He has said publicly his intention will be to promote women and new talent.
Whether Abbott has a ministry or not, he will see his ongoing role as to uphold what he believes are the party's conservative values.
As a backbencher, he will have greater scope to do so.
This Australia Day, Abbott was en route to the United States to address the religious right organisation, the Alliance Defending Freedom, which opposes abortion and is deeply troubled by homosexuality, especially same-sex marriage. Abbott does himself no favours addressing such a group, if only because it exposes as disingenuous his attempts when prime minister to show tolerance in order to broaden his appeal.
One senior Liberal noted that if Abbott was staying on to reflect on what went wrong with his leadership and change his style, it would be worthwhile. "But he doesn't, he just doubles down, he goes harder," he said, citing the US lecture as a prime example.
When Abbott deposed Turnbull as leader in 2009, the vicious split that surrounded the putsch was not over carbon policy per se, but the heart and soul of the Liberal Party. Was it to be a moderate or conservative-led party?
The moderates were largely purged during the Howard years and this time it is the conservatives feeling bruised. Preselection threats in NSW to the likes of Senator Concetta Fierravanti-Wells and MP Craig Kelly have the conservatives raising their hackles.
While Fierravanti-Wells should be okay, Kelly, who took his margin from less than 1 per cent to almost 11 per cent, remains under threat from former Labor mayor and now Liberal moderate Kent Johns .
"If Craig goes, we'll go ballistic," said one conservative as recently as Tuesday.
Abbott used his period in the wilderness following the Howard government's 2007 loss to burnish his conservative credentials by writing his book Battlelines. He became a foil to Turnbull then and could attempt to do so again now.
"He will be a dampener on some things Malcolm wants to do and can do,' said one of his allies on Tuesday.
Abetz said on Monday Abbott was "no Kevin Rudd". He was defending suggestions Abbott was staying on to destabilise the government.