there is nothing harder to stop than an idea whose time has come - look no further than same sex marriage or the way the Turnbull Government was dragged, kicking and screaming, to the point where it signed off on the banking royal commission.
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Both marked the triumph of public opinion over the inherent conservatism of a handful of politicians.
They were also proof the public is usually well ahead of their "leaders" on moral and social issues.
Monday's motion for a private members bill to shut down live sheep exports moved by Liberal backbencher, Sussan Ley, and supported by fellow Liberal, Sarah Henderson, creates the potential for an embarassing defeat for the Turnbull Government on the floor of the Parliament.
It was only the prospect of a similar defeat that forced the PM to give way to a banking royal commission last year.
While it doesn't look as if Ms Ley and Ms Henderson have the numbers to force a debate on the issue yet, it is already a much more closely run thing than Coalition power brokers would like.
Labor is committed to banning the trade following an announcement by opposition agriculture spokesman, Joel Fitzgibbon, at the beginning of the month.
Mr Fitzgibbon, who said Labor would support the private members bill, is of the view if Labor is successful in its forthcoming by-elections it would come close to forcing the issue.
He said at least three members of the cross bench would likely vote in favour. The Greens are also already opposed to live exports.
Most significantly, Mr Fitzgibbon said he had been in discussions with a number of Liberals. If they crossed the floor the anti-live export faction would be "within striking distance" of the numbers it needed.
"I've had a number of Liberal backbenchers approach me in the corridors expressing real concerns about the northern summer trade in particular and indicating they are considering supporting the private members Bill," he said.
If this is true the PM is, once again, between a rock and a hard place. He has been called out on a key moral issue by high profile female dissidents in a party that has been copping a lot of flak over its chronic shortage of women in parliament.
Any overt retaliation against them would almost certainly do more harm than good.
He has also allowed himself to be painted into a corner, thanks to the Coalition's agrarian partners, the Nationals, where the Labor Party will enter the coming by-elections with the live sheep trade as a key point of difference to the Government.
Like same sex marriage and banking, this issue is significantly more emotive, and arguably vote changing, than dry old arguments over who does better on tax cuts and jobs and growth.
This could be the time for Mr Turnbull to display genuine leadership by acknowledging public opposition to this heinous trade and pledging his government to phasing it out.
Given it is hard to see how his relationship with the Nationals could get much worse while Barnaby Joyce throws grenades from the back bench at every opportunity, the PM doesn't have a lot to lose.
