It’s a pretty safe bet that no one actually re-arranged the deckchairs on the Titanic after it hit the iceberg.
But as a metaphor for pointless activity ahead of impending disaster, it’s pretty hard to beat.
Rishi Sunak’s decision to undergo a major re-organisation of government departments, alongside a mini-reshuffle, barely 100 days after becoming prime minister, is a textbook example.
With the opinion polls continuing to give Labour a lead of around 20 points over the Tories, it seems odds-on that Sunak will be seeking alternative employment in around 18 months’ time.
Why he has chosen to spend a fair chunk of that time creating no fewer than four new Whitehall departments is anyone’s guess.
The fact that it’s happening just weeks after he unveiled the five promises which were supposed to define his time in office adds to the air of confusion.
None of the new departments - Energy Security and Net Zero; Science, Innovation and Technology; Business and Trade; and Culture, Media and Sport - have any obvious connections with those pledges.
He has also been forced to shift five ministers into new jobs just three months after he appointed them to their old ones on becoming PM in October.
Grant Shapps takes on energy, Michelle Donelan moves from culture to science, Kemi Badenoch takes on business and trade, Lucy Frazer replaces Donelan in the new-look DCMS, and Greg Hands becomes Tory chairman.
Despite mounting calls for him to go over bullying allegations, Dominic Raab clings on as deputy PM and justice secretary.
But should the inquiry into the claims against him find him guilty in the weeks ahead, it’s inconceivable that Sunak will not be forced to sack him - leading to yet another ministerial shake-up.
We all know how things ended for the Titanic. Without a dramatic change in fortunes, the same fate awaits Sunak’s government.