Columns

Penultimate Prattering

To many, politics are about as exciting as watching cricket being played by senile citizens in slow motion. And by that, I mean not very.
Me, I’m one of those odd folks who actually enjoys politics. I wish my interest were entirely due to principled ideals, but like most other Nineties children, I have a terribly short attention span and crave drama. While politics may be the home of ranting and droning, it’s also a realm filled with colourful characters, including king of Grey Power himself, Winston Peters (who we’ve interviewed on page 26 this week). Closer to home, we also have a fair slew of campus personalities, including International Socialist James Gluck, NORML’s Abe Grey, and Critic’s very own Eagle (most of these are mentioned in our feature delving into the terrifying/hilarious world of politics on campus).
While these characters make politics a little more palatable, sadly it’s our obsession with drama that leads to piss-poor politics coverage and politicians who are more about personality than substance. Our desire for scandal pushes stories about Dan Carter’s groin to the forefront of the news, and shoves stories about carbon emissions to the back. It causes us to vote for people on the basis of their looks, their beer-drinking companionship or their proficiency at baby-sitting/child-rearing rather any competency they may or may not have.
John Key is the epitome of the personality politician. He’s affable, likes Brooke Fraser, and has a son who engages in recreational planking. It’s hard not to draw links between Key and current OUSA president Logan Edgar, who recently compared himself to Nelson Mandela and has been known to publically discuss his scabies. He’s up against Den Benson-Guiu for the role of 2012 OUSA President, and while Benson-Guiu may be less of a salt-of-the-earth funny man, he certainly has some great, well-articulated ideas. So, I suppose the question is, will you vote for a beer-drinking companion or a policy maker? Regardless of what you decide, be sure to get to the booths/Internet and vote.
This week’s issue is our second to last issue of the year, so we hope you enjoy it. If you’ve been bottling up a letter for the past year, this week is your last chance to show us your love/hate/rantiness. They’re due Thursday 4pm. We’re expecting big things.
Have a great last week of semester,
Julia