There's already been too much energy spent on the internal affairs of political parties. Labor has reshuffled the chairs. The attention has been on its leader.

You can be sure the headline, 'Labor leader Anthony Albanese dismisses speculation his leadership is under threat' is a sure sign Labor leader Anthony Albanese's leadership may well be under threat.

The denial is the affirmative. Just like football managers, the time to think about the farewell present is after the vote of confidence.

The Nationals, unable to help themselves, have prompted speculation about the future of the Nationals. That perennial question, 'What's Barnaby up to'? has resurfaced.

All this, of course, is grist to the talkback radio mill - and the talkback radio mill is grist to Mr Joyce. They live off each other. Mr Joyce has said he does not want to return to the top job in the party. Forgive us our scepticism.

Mr Joyce described the federal Coalition as a marriage of convenience. His successor, Michael McCormack, had to contradict him. It was, the Riverina MP said, a "marriage of strengths".

Either way, this dispute was internal stuff which may please close followers of the parliamentary soap opera but it will put other people off. There are people who like Punch and Judy shows. And there are people who don't.

In among all the verbiage, there are real issues that may affect real people, not that you would gather that from all the shouting and jostling.

Mr Morrison needs the Nationals and the Nationals need coal, or at least their political appeal is tied to it.

But this particular spat may be hot air. The McCormack and Joyce show is good entertainment but their party (whoever leads it) needs the Liberals.

The Nationals can choose government or they can choose impotence.

Labor has a bigger dilemma. In last week's reshuffle, Mark Butler had the all important climate change portfolio taken from him.

Those who opine on these matters say Mr Albanese was "bowing to pressure from the right flank of his caucus".

Labor, the commentators said, was softening its position on climate change "to bring a sharper economic perspective to the issue".

When the word "economy" is used in this context, it usually means radical change to curb global warming emissions should be avoided if it might cost the voters more.

There is an argument parties of the left need to cleave to the centre if they are to be elected - Tony Blair and Bill Clinton would tell you that.

But there is another argument: if parties of the left dilute their policies too much, they start to become indistinguishable from the party of the right.

We do not know what the correct answer is for Mr Albanese. The thing is, it seems, neither does he.

You can't blame him. Mr Morrison is riding high, basking in the happy situation of leading a country with hardly any coronavirus infections, in contrast to those horror pictures on the evening news from other parts of the world.

There may be an election this year.

Mr Morrison would take some shifting even without the other parties in disarray.

But with all the focus on him as the leader in a crisis which could be a lot worse, and all the focus on a fractious opposition, not many would bet against the government retaining power.