Brendan Nelson finally caught the exclusive eye of the media. Transformed from a caterpillar to a butterfly, the Herald gave him a Christmas makeover, but his hair-do remains unchanged (“The Evolution of Brendan Nelson”).
The man and his machine… Brendan Nelson likes to take to the highways for relaxation from politics.
The softening of his image overlaps with John Street’s work on celebrity politics. He writes:
… The political use of popular culture is a cynical expression of a desperate populism, one in which presentation and appearance substitute for policy and principle
And given that Nelson’s brain cells are infamously known to have stimulated radical reform in education, it seems a bit awkward to divert from “policy and principle” and move into phony tactics of political communication, especially in light of the recent passing of VSU. While I find, overall, no objection to such strategies, Street also notes that the fusion of pop culture and politics is that last resort by politicians to fix “their loss of credibility and trust”. So Nelson fits the profile.
Another interesting aspect is how the media loves to expose certain public figures as potential political candidates. Whether Garrett, Costello, or even the deceased Kerry Packer, they’ve all been dragged into American-coined ‘poli-tainment’ as wannabe PMs. According to the Herald, Nelson is “firming as the next deputy should Peter Costello jump into the Prime Minister’s slot,” despite “artfully” sidestepping questions about his political ambitions. Barry O’Farrell further reinforced that he is “capable of going the whole way in politics”.
Earlier this month, The Age (“The Wild One: Education 2005”) already included Nelson as a key component (or opponent?) in its annual education review (with the same aphrodisiacal image may I add), but the Herald took it a headline and a double-page spread further. The Age barely reported on Nelson, so I guess the image sums up all factors that rocked that Australian education system this year. Thankfully enough, pictures are indeed worth a thousand words.
Here, the very first two paragraphs of the Herald feature:
Should you catch the faint strains of an electric guitar drifting down the silent corridors of Canberra’s Parliament House late night, don’t question your grip on reality. It’s likely to be Dr Brendan Nelson, peeling off a few riffs once the staff have gone home.
“I’ve got a Fender Stratocaster 50th anniversary, I’ve got a Fender 60s facsimile and I’ve got a Yamaha RGX1212,” he says casually, rattling off a trademark cascade of facts and figures. The Education Minister is trying his hand at Eric Burdon and the Animals, Pink Floyd and longtime favourite Slim Dusty.
