What is it about Canberra and young would-be politicians? Does our nice clean Bush Capital air bring out the animal spirits in these youngsters? Is Canberra so uniquely boring they feel compelled to bring some life to our quiet town? Does the sight of snow-capped mountains make them feel like they’re on a ski trip?
It’s barely two months since Young Laborites left their mark on Pinnacle Apartments, a short-stay complex just a short stroll from the fleshpots — or what passes for fleshpots in this fair town — of Kingston and Manuka.
Now Pinnacle Apartments — which presumably should have known better after the June incident than to host a bunch of young pollies — has been the scene of equivalent debauchery from the Australian Liberal Students’ Federation. News Ltd has demurely pixelated the faces of the attendees it has obtained pictures of — possibly reflecting the state of inebriation of those photographed at the time, but sources have identified one of those photographed as Tasmanian Young Liberal president Whittney Jago (yep I spelt it correctly).
Like apparently everyone under 25, Ms Jago lets it all hang out on her Facebook page, where her status at the time of writing was the mysterious “is excited to John Howard tonight :)”, which might suggest the former Prime Minister is in for an ill-defined treat this evening, or some lucky Howard is going to get “Johned”, whatever that is. You know how these youngsters are always using neologisms. No pun, of course, intended. At least one of the Facebook friends of Whittney with two Ts hasn’t been able to resist mentioning her new-found, if pixelated, fame.
Some may frown on such activities, particularly in this era of concern over youth binge drinking. I prefer to see it as a splendid encouragement for alienated youth to join a political party. At a time when our political class is being drawn from an ever-narrower cadre of staffers drawn from trade unions (Labor) or PR firms (Liberals), the more kids who see drunken antics and decide to join up, the better. And besides, adult politicians never get drunk, right?
The only slight problem — prepare for the sound of my creaky old porch rocker — is this habit of putting all sorts of candid things on Facebook. When some young Liberals or Young Laborites grow up into real politicians, they may regret the pictures and comments they stuck on Facebook years before. Because, sadly, nothing’s ever lost on the interwebs.
Actually I think that so many people have pictures of themselves plastered all over the internet, not to mention random bloggings and comments, that by the time today’s 20somethings are, as you so condescendingly write, ‘real politicians’, no one will be the least bit interested in pointless ‘candid things on FaceBook’ – because everyone will be covered pretty much equally in it. There won’t be any privacy at all, which on one level is a bad thing, but on another it may be oddly liberating. After all, gone will be the ridiculous aura/illusion of ‘higher than thou’ respectability that present day (old) politicans have about themselves. I actually approve of the whole country seeing our politicians as human beings just like them. Who knows, it might inspire some of our more able citizens to get involved, because they can see it’s possible to be human and political at the same time.
Or this may be an optimistic reading. I just think it will be difficult for journalists, for example, to write about politicians’ Facebook photos when most of THEM will have probably been equally ‘indiscreet’ (ie. themselves) among their own circle of friends and family.
Creaky porch rocker coming through loud and clear, Bernard.
I just want to take issue with you’re comment regarding PR Firms being all Liberal. I agree with you’re point that in the majority of cases people who work for PR Firms are Liberal, however I work for a PR firm and I certainly am not a Liberal – never have been and never will.
Gotta Love Facebook though…when will people learn those privacy settings!!
Ah fair takes me back… oh come on Bernard did you never?
good point Aron albiet badly expressed.