Clive Troy has been a senior Liberal Party member at branch level, but – as anyone who’s ever read one of his many letters to the Sydney Morning Herald would know - far from an unadorned admirer of local north shore Sydney Liberals like John Howard and Philip Ruddock.

In his younger days, Clive – who now has major trading interests in the Philippines – was a well-known name in PNG. We’d sit in our head teacher’s offices in the bush trying to decipher the latest Treasury circular on native teachers' rice allowances and, more than likely than not, Clive’s name would be at the bottom of it.

In a farewell statement to the outgoing Prime Minister, Clive mounted a one-man demonstration outside John Howard’s electorate office yesterday morning. I think you'll find his message to be pretty clear.