NewsBite

Strewth: dress for success

Joe Hockey has upped the ante on snappy attire, taking on the Americans on their own turf.

Berry smoothie.
Berry smoothie.

In 2013, when Barack Obama announced him as Jeff Bleich’s replacement as US ambassador to Australia, John Berry made a video in which he introduced himself to Australia. It was two minutes and 14 seconds of disarming perkiness in which, among other things, he touched on the importance of the US-Australian alliance, and wheeled out this dazzling vision (above) of his penchant for knitwear.

It has taken a while for Australia’s diplomatic corps to respond in kind. Arise our man in Washington, Joe Hockey, who has hosted a barbecue in Washington and spoken unto the people. Like Berry, he too stressed the importance of the alliance — indeed, the mateship that stretches across the Pacific — and, also like Berry, dazzled with his threads. It’s a snappy look, what we like to think of as Miami Vice: The Later Years, and one we hope the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade will encourage in all its embassies.

Hockey pluck.
Hockey pluck.

Pyne relief

Via Malcolm Turnbull’s office, here’s the most casually cruel bit of transcript we’ve seen in a while.

Journalist: “There was a report that Christopher Pyne was meant to come to Cherbourg today and then was yanked after his same-sex marriage comment. Is there any truth to that?”

Prime Minister: “I am quite capable of opening the project office myself, I can assure you.”

Journalist: “You don’t need Mr Pyne?” (Laughter)

It’s the bracketed laughter that really delivers the pain. So for a spot of uplift, we turn to the start of the Pyne-free sequel: “It’s wonderful to be here in Cherbourg …”

Lifting him higher

Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce has been experiencing his own happiness, out on the road in a rental car as he discharges his duties as Acting PM. And he found his way to a higher plane via a quiche in the NSW town of Uralla, which bills itself as “the foodie capital of New England”. “It was rocket and pumpkin,” Joyce told Strewth. “Sounds like a new country band from Kingaroy. But it tasted great, giving me a real sense of sophistication.”

Crunching numbers

We’re all familiar with the way politicians shrug off talk about opinion polls. A declaration that “There’s only one poll that counts”, delivered with a knowing smile. Failing that, the pollie declines to “offer a running commentary”. So hats off to Labor’s Nick Champion, who tried something different on Sky News when Peter van Onselen wanted to know why Bill Shorten was “so perennially unpopular even though your party is so popular”. After a brief preamble, Champion hit his stride: “I guess we shouldn’t in public life see political life in the countdown of polls. I think it was an unfortunate thing for the PM to do when he ran for the prime ministership. I think it’s an unfortunate part of public life now that we do tend to navel gaze every time there’s a poll. And that’s not to say that politicians are disinterested in polls, of course we are very interested, but we shouldn’t spend the first part of your very important program, which we could be discussing all manner of issues for public policy, I suppose navel gazing into today’s …” At which point PVO chimed in: “Message taken.”

Bottle of biffin’

People used to simply hit each other with bottles. No such plainness of language at aviation news service AVweb, where reporters have to find synonyms. Such as yesterday: “Crew members and passengers aboard a Delta Air Lines flight from Seattle headed for China weaponised wine bottles and anything else they could think of to subdue a young passenger who was hell bent on opening a galley exit door.”

Read related topics:Barack Obama

Add your comment to this story

To join the conversation, please Don't have an account? Register

Join the conversation, you are commenting as Logout

Original URL: https://www.theaustralian.com.au/commentary/strewth/strewth-dress-for-success/news-story/30b99a279df2a79e7368f6c1e3dc5873