So it’s not entirely surprising that someone who tends to be very disagreeable and averse to authority and prevailing opinion is showing support for Trump, which is pretty much the 2020 equivalent of swearing at Bill Grundy.

If you’re averse to authority in 1970s England, you’re going to mock the Queen, call Britain fascist and use lots of words that offend old people. If you’re averse to authority in 2020s England, you’re going to say the things that offend people on Radio 4, because it’s those voices that have power.

You might not agree with what Lydon says, but it is authentically rebellious in the way that countless musicians and artists solemnly showing their support for BLM — the approved, high-status, corporate-backed ideology of the day — is not.

Lydon has previously backed Brexit — “the working class has spoken” as he said — which, again, might be wrong or bad or misguided in people’s view, but it is what you’d expect of someone averse to the respectable ruling ideas of the time. In that he is similar to his contemporary and fellow second-generation Irish musician, Morrissey, who has upset many former fans with his opposition to immigration.

Both Morrissey and Lydon have also commented on the destructive impact of modernist architecture on their communities. The former Smiths singer recalled:

Lydon meanwhile features in a video where he goes around the capital on a bus complaining — totally correctly — about the architectural horrors inflicted on our city, all of which is “destroying our history”.

I would never say something as cringey as “conservatism is the new punk” — and if I ever did, it’s a signal that I’ve been kidnapped — but if you do have a certain personality type, and can’t stand the sort of narcissistic, sanctimonious sermonising associated with respectable political opinion, then you will at least do your best to try to upset them.

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Ed West’s book Tory Boy is published by Constable

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