Christian Kerr writes:

Alexander Downer is a nice bloke. True, he’s often portrayed as a bit of a twit or a snob. But that’s unfair. The snobbery
bit comes from his accent – Adelaide private schoolboy combined with several years in the UK with
his family or as a student. And the twit bit should put the lie to claims he’s
a snob. Downer is unafraid to take the p*ss out of himself – indeed, maybe a little too unafraid.

We all remember “The things that batter”
line. That was silly. Opposition leaders shouldn’t make jokes about the titles of
their manifestos. Then there was the fishnets photo. Downer
shouldn’t have let the picture of himself pulling on stockings be taken, but it
needs to be put in context. It was one of a series of “celebrity feet” – largely
footballers’ – clad in stockings and high heels featured in a newspaper
competition in The Adelaide Advertiser.

In nine years Downer has grown into a foreign minister with substance. He just needs to remember that it’s a full
time job – with little scope for comedy.