As Labor politicians dragged their heels back to parliament this week, there are signs of progress through the five stages of grief. Denial and anger have given way to depression, accelerated perhaps by polling showing that Opposition leader Anthony Albanese is getting less popular by the day. Bereavement counsellors would have detected evidence of guilt, if not acceptance, in Mark Butler, who as climate and energy spokesman did more than almost anybody to keep Bill Shorten out of the Lodge.