We know the news media are desperate to find something to complain about with our new prime minister. They are just missing by a mile with their silly ‘nanny-gate’ huffing and puffing. This is no Gotcha.
The simple question is do you want our prime minister to have appropriate household staff or not? Are we some kind of backward third-world country where the head of the country has to live in poverty to show solidarity with the masses? And the thing is that different prime ministers require different staff capabilities.
Do you want the prime minister to show up at a state dinner and apologize to visiting dignitaries that his wife is not there because they could not get a babysitter?
Our prime minister’s mother can tell you that the wife (or husband, for that matter) of a prime minister is on-call just as much as is the elected member of the family. The working member(s) of the household do not show up after work every day with nothing more important on their mind than wondering what is for dinner.
This is a 24-7 job. You are on-call. And the prime minister’s residence—whether 24 Sussex or some temporary place—is not a cottage. It requires staff to look after it.
If there is any advice we would give the news media, it is that they cool their jets until staffing for the new prime minister is complete. Maybe then you can weigh-off the gross weight of this prime minister’s staff against the previous prime minister’s staff.
Bet you that the new prime minister does not require the daily services of his private hairdresser. That is all Justin Trudeau’s own hair and he never has learned to comb it properly. He simply does not need a hairdresser and make-up artist to go everywhere he does to make sure he is perfect for the TV and news photographers. Justin Trudeau is always ready for another selfie, no matter how wind-blown he looks.
It is likely that we will find over time that while staffing for prime ministers always appears to be on a self- fertilizing growth cycle, Trudeau would take many years in office to equal Stephen Harper’s excesses.
The media should do a credibility check on themselves. Before throwing stones at this prime minister—were they as diligent in checking up on his predecessor?
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Copyright 2015 © Peter Lowry
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