Barnaby Joyce has not said as much, but the feeling is his colleagues must have approached him late last week to say he no longer had the numbers to keep the top job.

Given his stubborn refusal earlier in the week to even countenance stepping down, that seems the only reasonable explanation for Friday’s backflip during an Armidale press conference.

So those MPs who must have moved against Mr Joyce will have only themselves to blame if they struggle to make an impact at the next federal election.

Because, as every Nationals MP must realise, Mr Joyce remains easily the most recognisable figure in their party room and – despite several weeks of damaging headlines – quite possibly the most popular in the Nationals’ rural heartland.

Many traditional Nationals voters might not approve of Mr Joyce’s handling of his private life and might be worried by allegations [and they remain just allegations] of inappropriate conduct or misuse of public money, but they still see him as a man who speaks for them and their concerns.

It’s hard to see Mr Joyce’s replacement – regardless of who that might be – having anywhere near the “cut through” in the media that he enjoys.

Mr Joyce is a straight talker and a clear thinker, and not having his face on their posters come election time will make life just a little bit harder for all Nationals.

That fact will also leave Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull with mixed feelings as Mr Joyce steps down as his deputy.

On the one hand, Mr Turnbull will no doubt be relishing the idea of working with a new Nationals who does not command the same presence as Mr Joyce and does not push back so strongly against the senior Coalition partner if they feel the Nationals are being taken for granted.

At the same time, though, Mr Turnbull must also be concerned about the potential impact on a Nationals vote at the ballot box because any loss of seats – Liberal or National – would extinguish the government’s slender margin.

Whatever the outcome of Monday’s Nationals party meeting, we can be sure Australian politics is about to enter a slightly less colourful period. Whether that’s a good thing or bad remains to be seen.