Howard’s legacy will be argued about interminably. Politically, he is the most successful prime minister of all time. As a tactician, he has few peers. But in the end we knew him. He was a politician and nothing else – the most chilling (and repeated) revelation in the fascinating Errington-van Onselen biography. His failing was that he did not really know us.

The Australia about which he waxed lyrical existed only in his imagination. It was an Australia frozen in mid-afternoon sunshine, the gleaming Holden in the driveway, mum baking cakes, Aborigines keeping quiet and out of sight, divorce unknown, workers subservient and respectful and homos-xuals simply not existing. Authority was always right and always obeyed.

This was the private vision he tried to thrust upon a nation. He wrapped himself in the Anzac myth and glorified all things military. But it was comic-book stuff. Did he ever serve in uniform? Did he ever volunteer for the old CMF? Did he ever endure the sheer and mindless tedium of the parade ground and the entrenched stupidity of the military mind?

Similarly in the workplace, did he ever work for a complete incompetent? Was he ever bullied and harassed? Was he ever sacked? Did he ever tell a boss to shove it? Did he ever, even just once in his life, take a sickie?

No, John, you never really knew this Australia.

(Declaration: The writer is a former soldier, has worked for innumerable incompetents, and has taken the odd sickie. He suspects he is not alone.)