Canberrans like to think we yield to no-one in the humour value of our politics. It’s sort of a wound up maniacal laugh of a person standing on the edge of the abyss, but it’s a laugh none the less.
But Paris Hilton’s recent intervention (see video) in the US Presidential election, in the wake of the McCain campaign comparing Barack Obama to her, is really setting the bar at a whole new level.
Will our politicians, so able in the past, rise to this new challenge?
And while we scratch around for locallity what do you think are the funniest things local politics has given the world of humour in the last six assemblies?
Hospital implosions and suspected drink driving incidents are automatically disqualified on the grounds of having a) been worn to cliche, and b) already been mentioned by me right here.
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What’s Your opinion?
Paris for president?
The fact that there was a “No Self Govt” party.
Denis Stevenson apparently filming the strippers at one of the Summernats, to prove a point about how inappropriate it was to have strippers at Summernats.
Brendan Smyth crashing a car up in the Brindabellas.
Hargreaves telling us not to drink and drive!
I loved how the first ballot paper was so big it didn’t fit in the ballot box!
I actually give Mal Meninga credit for that. At least he was honest about it. I think we constantly see political candidates whose hearts are not in the right place, chugging along on name recognition or what have you. Mal knew it was bullshit and he pulled the plug. An honourable act… but yes absolutely hilarious.
VicePope said :
Bernie the Attorney?
Also in the sad/funny line:
SELF government, where we aren’t actually allowed to legislate for a drug trial, where the GDE should go or for gay marriage.
i did love on our first ever ballot paper running for the Let’s Have a Party Party – Call, Amanda.
bugger. forgot to mention that the grass green wasn’t jon, but pretty stupid all the same, and helicopter was spelt wrong.
For mine it was the “spray painting the Bruce Stadium grass green” in advance of the IOC visit. It was funny when it was an invented plotline in The Games – it was even funnier when it happened for real.
I remember the fluoride debate – it seemed as if the pollies spent 6 months debating back and forth on having full fluoride, half measures of fluoride, or no fluoride in our water.
vital stuff – at least we had water then!
I also remember Denis Stevenson’s letters he used to send out, on yellow paper with bycycle pictures on it, handwritten in purple pen.
Joe Canberran said :
ok, but you take away a bit of fun when you remove the drink driving at least. hospital implosion is NOT funny, bloody stupid and is a reminder of the complete stupidity of some marketing engines within the ACT Government. What were they thinking of?
what about:
painting grass to make it green, denying responsibility for the fires (where exactly does the buck stop, jon, when you are the CHIEF minister??) suing the coroner, (when the verdict wasn’t the one wanted, funny that, it seemed to happen as it was independent??) the prison under a flight plan, next to southcare helecopter base (what a well thought of idea THAT was), another example of bloody stupid behaviour, the power plant, and the ensuing bickering / environment study only after the public raised it.
who wants to run the ACT Government?
some fool. to replace the current fool.
One of the pollies being done for discrimination for calling someone ‘mintie-bum’.
Mal’s radio interview to announce his candidacy – where he resigned during the first question – I had this on in the car as it happened – it was a classic!
Electing a footballer ‘cos footballers are cool’. Said footballer turning out to be the most right wing pollie Canberra has ever seen. And making us pay for his 10 seat car for his endless kids.
The first group of greens elected, who promised they would not accept government cars and would support public transport, then accepting the cars on day one. (I still have not forgotten or forgiven this one.)
Making an independent the health minister.
The Sun Ripened Warm Tomato Party.
Personally I took a certain bleak comedy from someone getting killed, not by a hospital’s neglect, but by a hospital in motion. Without wishing to demean the tragedy of the bender family.
Does anyone remember the flouride hokey-pokey when shifting alliances in the Assembly saw flouride in the water supply become a political football to suit the nutbag religious beliefs of one MLA?
“Hospital implosions and suspected drink driving incidents are automatically disqualified on the grounds of having a) been worn to cliche, and b) already been mentioned by me right here.”
Not to mention being in bad taste. I would suggest we can disqualify any incident that caused serious injury/death and most, although not all, criminal acts; the Stanhope staffer graffiti incident an example of an acceptable criminal act nomination, being something criminal, stupid and downright funny
The hospital implosion is considered funny? Wow that’s uncouth even for me.
Mal Meningas thirty second shot at becoming an MLA, and the reason why mungoe players should attempt to shoulder as little intellectual responsilbilty as possible.
The jokes
The first Assembly election with more parties than the year one turns 21.
David Prowse getting bitten by a money while on honeymoon.
Dennis Stevenson sleeping in his office.
Mal Meninga deciding he wouldn’t be a pollie after all.
Pretty well everyone elected, but especially the first years when, briefly, we had the whacko experience of a Minister and Speaker originally elected because of their claimed opposition to self-government.
And who could forget Bernie the Attorney.
And then
I thought about Paris Hilton as a candidate, and who could match her locally. Apart from some Big Brother bimbo, the only thing I could suggest is that she has the same suitability for election as most of the people who get into the Assembly.