Because most people would have long ago grown tired of Marshall's demands and told the United Firefighters Union secretary to just put up or shut up.

Marshall has been trouble for Andrews almost since the beginning of the Labor Leader’s term of government, usually with the suggestion floating around that Marshall has something on Andrews.

There’s no evidence of that, but Andrews’ government has folded to so many demands from Marshall and his union over the years and at such a high political price, that this kompromat theory has often been the only one that makes sense.

And here we are again, with the Premier up for re-election in just over seven months, and with Marshall still threatening all sorts of dire consequences if he doesn’t get his way.

The latest tantrum is over the Metropolitan Fire Brigade’s new Chief Officer Dan Stephens, who Marshall says is a cost-cutter and a union basher and that the United Firefighters Union was not “consulted” by the Brigade before they hired the Englishman.

It looks like Marshall found out like everyone else, after the Liverpool Echo reported its city’s fire chief was heading down under and leaving Stephens’ new employers scrambling to catch up with the news.

So you get the feeling the MFB’s real crime was failing to give Marshall the royal treatment, not asking the union leader to anoint the new Chief Officer before going public.

Seems like a lot to ask, but with a character as volatile and politically dangerous as Marshall, losing control of the news of the appointment has to be regarded as a stuff-up by Andrews and Merlino.

Marshall denies that he wants to be the man to choose the Fire Brigade’s new boss, although he obviously had a candidate that he preferred to Stephens.

But it’s clear that the union leader expected to have some sort of say in who was hired.

“Promises were made,” by both Andrews and his Emergency Services Minister James Merlino. Marshall thundered on the radio on Wednesday, before getting all coy on the question of compromising material.

But this time, Marshall is making a demand that cannot be met. Andrews has to go ahead with hiring Stephens, otherwise the Premier’s credibility is shredded.

Answering questions about the matter at Moorabin Oval on Thursday morning, the Premier looked perfectly at peace with the idea of saying no to Peter Marshall.

Imagine where Andrews could be now if he’d done that years ago.