Wheeling out political wives is 'demeaning and humiliating'

By wheeling out his wife in times of strife, Colin Craig was observing a tradition beloved of male politicians.

He was merely using his nearest and dearest in an attempt to sanitise his image. In a statement, his wife, Helen Craig, said: "I do not often speak to the media but I choose to stand with my husband here today in full love and support of him".

full 3-page statement from colin craig and his wife pic.twitter.com/LXZInl8ETG

— David Farrier (@davidfarrier) June 22, 2015

If those words sound familiar, even somewhat plagiarised, it's probably because of the Tammy Wynette song Stand by Your Man - the lyrics of which make me feel a little queasy:

"You'll have bad times, and he'll have good times
Doin' things that you don't understand
But if you love him, you'll forgive him."

Then, of course, the famous chorus goes: "Stand by your man, and show the world you love him".

It's difficult to believe that politicians are still taking inspiration from a sentimental song that has its origins in the 1960s.

How can anyone think such a retro approach to indiscretions and blind loyalty is the best response in the 21st century?

In an earlier piece on the subject, a commentator noted: "These days, the weapon of choice in attempting to alleviate tarnished male images is the defence of a loyal wife or long-term partner. Men who were previously famous for their independence and individual achievements, overnight develop a penchant for being publicly and visibly connected to their women.

"The irony in most cases is that if the accused parties had spent more time with their own wives in the first place, they would probably never have needed to parade them in order to raise their own credibility quotient."

Actually, I wrote those words a full 15 years ago in a piece entitled The women who let their men hide behind their skirts. Cynically dragging the wife out is not a recent phenomenon. Hillary Clinton famously supported her husband through the fallout of numerous indiscretions. In 1992 she was at his side as they were interviewed about the Gennifer Flowers accusations. Interestingly, Hillary denied being inspired by that song: "I'm not sitting here, some little woman standing by my man like Tammy Wynette." She must have realised how their deliberate act of unity would be interpreted in some quarters.

The problems associated with dragging out the wife are numerous. It's demeaning and humiliating for the woman concerned. It's clearly seen for what it is: a cynical and superficial act designed to bolster support. Significantly, at heart it's also a meaningless gesture: the wife clearly can't know what really went on. The show of unity is an artifice.

Furthermore, I can't recall one example of a female politician using the same hackneyed strategy in an attempt to manipulate public perception. I'm pretty certain Helen Clark didn't wheel out her husband to help manage a personal crisis when she was prime minister. Like her or loathe her, she maintained her dignity all on her own. Certain male politicians seem incapable of such a thing.

- nzherald.co.nz