Former prime minister Tony Abbott was at the centre of a social media storm on Friday for a surprising tweet marking the fifth anniversary of his election as PM.

“It’s a good government, getting better!” he wrote.

The fact that he is no longer the leader of the government – or Australia – appeared to escape the former PM. As did the fact that his own replacement, Malcolm Turnbull, has also been dumped – recently, and in spectacular fashion.

Today is the fifth anniversary of the election of the Abbott government. It’s a good government, getting better!

— Tony Abbott (@HonTonyAbbott) September 7, 2018

On Friday, Mr Abbott’s tweet drew a rapid reaction from Twitter users.

“Has nobody told you?” TiPoole wrote, while another – Lord Rivers of Beer – described it as “the funniest statement I’ve seen for a long time”.

The tweet quickly broke ‘the ratio’, an unofficial Twitter law that states that if the number of replies to a tweet outnumbers the volume of likes and retweets it receives, then the tweet is bad.

From Mr Abbott, however, the only response were two tweets welcoming former deputy PM John Anderson to his electorate.

John Anderson was an outstanding Deputy Prime Minister, he remains a thoughtful voice in our public life. pic.twitter.com/oU9gMGh4WB

— Tony Abbott (@HonTonyAbbott) September 7, 2018

Journalists, social commentators and even former politicians quickly took to social media to mock Mr Abbott’s baffling declaration, with many anticipating that the tone-deaf tweet would be ridiculed for days to come.

a shark jumping over a tank full of sharks while punching itself in the face https://t.co/b8UMQSv2N2

— Scott Ludlam (@Scottludlam) September 7, 2018

One one hand you could see this as a serious case of denial that he was 🔪 & is no longer PM. But on the other it could be accurate description and we have the Abbott Government back again. https://t.co/F9EzZzr7Pp

— Sally McManus (@sallymcmanus) September 7, 2018

https://twitter.com/wendy_harmer/status/1037884674482167808

Mr Abbott, who famously promised there would “be no wrecking, no undermining, and no sniping” when he lost the PM’s job in September 2015, is widely suspected of having been involved in the most recent leadership upheaval.

In his final speech as prime minister, Mr Turnbull took a shot at his predecessor.

“Peter Dutton and Tony Abbott and others who chose to deliberately attack the government from within did so because they wanted to bring the government down, to bring my government down,” he said.

The fallout from the Liberal Party’s extraordinary week of leadership chaos is still being felt, with claims of bullying and intimidation from many MPs, particularly women.

In an attempt to counter it, new Prime Minister Scott Morrison has been on a publicity blitz in his first fortnight in the job.

On Thursday, he gave a speech at the Menzies Research Centre in Albury, where he said the four things Australians could “celebrate” on Australia Day were the pharmaceutical benefits scheme, the age pension, the disability support pension, and the national disability insurance scheme.

“All of these things are made possible because of the sweat and the work of Australians who create a stronger economy that make all that possible,” he said.

Earlier in the week, Mr Morrison had dumped the Abbott government’s controversial plan to raise the pension age to 70. It was the last lingering policy pledge from Mr Abbott and then treasurer Joe Hockey’s unloved 2014 federal budget.