Look to ScoMo’s marriage to realise his strengths as PM

A man who inspires the trust and regard of his wife is more likely to be worthy of our vote, writes Miranda Devine. After 30 years of marriage, Jenny Morrison’s admiration for Scott reveals much about his character.

You haven’t seen much of her so far, but the Prime Minister’s most effective asset in this election is his down-to-earth wife, former nurse Jenny Morrison, 51.

When a marriage is strong it is obvious to everyone. But, for a politician, a good marriage can be the most valuable asset of all.

A prime minister’s wife — and they all have been wives, apart from Julia Gillard’s partner — can help humanise her husband and soften his image.

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Most importantly, the relationship tells us more about his personal morality and character than any well-crafted speech or slick advertisement.

A man who inspires the trust and regard of his wife is more likely to be worthy of our vote.

She knows him better than anyone, and her feelings for him will be evident in telltale nuances of body language, which we are programmed through evolution to discern.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison and wife Jenny at Good Friday Easter services at St Charbel's Catholic Maronite Church in Sydney. Picture: AAP/Mick Tsikas

We’ve seen glimpses of the Morrison bond before, like the night of the NSW election last month, when the PM arrived at the Sofitel Wentworth to pay tribute to the triumphant Premier.

After a quick congratulations on stage, he slipped away quietly.

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But what most people didn’t notice, as the PM and his wife of almost 30 years disappeared down an escalator, was that they were holding hands like newlyweds.

Jenny Morrison doesn’t have to tell us she likes her husband, though she does that whenever she gets a chance.

“Scott is just one of those people that’s good at everything,” she says.

The PM texted Jenny from Molly Malone’s pub in Devonport on Wednesday night while she was staying alone in a hotel in Launceston, ready to meet him the next day.

“Jen, we’re doing musical bingo. You’d love to be here”.

She quipped back: “You’re right, because I’d actually be good at it”.

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She says her husband “beats me at everything. You saw him at bowls the other day [when he scored the perfect bowl first time at Torquay Bowls Club in Victoria]. That’s just so Scott”.

The PM playing bowls while on the election campaign in Torquay with Federal Member for Corangamite Sarah Henderson. Picture: Gary Ramage

The mutual admiration comes from sharing a strong Christian faith and having spent most of their lives together, since meeting at age 12 at Sydney’s Luna Park, marrying at 21 and suffering an 18 year wait for the children they desperately wanted but had accepted might never come.

Marriages forged in such adversity often become stronger.

Now a busy mum of Abbey, 11, and Lily, 9, Jenny misses her husband when he is away, and enjoys spending time with him on the campaign trail.

“I actually get to look at him and see what he’s doing … Whatever he wants me to be at, I’ll absolutely be there. I just have to be mindful of the girls”.

Politics is not something she relishes but she is a natural, judging by her interactions with locals in Launceston. She has a warmth and natural charm that makes people smile.

She has faith in her husband’s ability to pull off a miracle win like his beloved Cronulla Sharks did on Thursday.

Whether she’s right or not, you wouldn’t want it any other way. All political careers end in failure, anyway, and for the Morrisons, family is what matters.

@mirandadevine