Barnaby Joyce and tearing the joint apart

If you are wondering whether Barnaby Joyce will continue to play hard-ball (see the Owl's earlier comment Barnaby Joyce has the power of one) this tweet from Samantha Maiden yesterday is worth noting:

Interesting to note re Warren Truss - were always muttering he didn't want @BarnabyJoyceLNP sought alternatives. Ultimately colleagues urged to back him because otherwise Barnaby would tear joint apart https://t.co/fT0ZJpFnQG

— Samantha Maiden (@samanthamaiden) February 13, 2018

Are things different now? As the lyric from "Me and Bonny McGhee"  puts it - Freedom's just another word for nothing left to lose.