Barry Soper: Social media says a lot about politicians

Opinion

The thing about social media is that it's a young person's playground. It's where most of them interact, where those who can be bothered keep up with the news but hopefully it's not a place that's taken too seriously when it comes to the calibre of our political leaders.

On that one Donald Trump set the Twitter standard, day after day acting like a recalcitrant schoolboy, throwing tantrums at anyone who's in a position to influence public opinion. Woe betide, he's now getting more and more into videos with the latest depicting him knocking a man in a suit and tie, with a CNN logo instead of a head, to the ground and repeatedly punching him outside a wrestling ring.

The years old clip, minus the logo, apparently came from a real life performance from the now President at WrestleMania, but finishing with the logo FNN, depicting Fraud News Network. Incredibly his relaxed Homeland security advisor said it was simply the President genuinely expressing himself and rejecting the notion that it posed any threat to the media.

By comparison our politicians are tame, although Winston Peters has been more aggressively taking to Twitter lately, unusually using the word crap when reacting to a Herald opinion piece.

It seems Peters doesn't need to personalise his messages though, because we all know him well enough. It's the two vying for the Prime Minister's job, although Peters will have an eye on that one too, that are setting out to show us they're one of us.

Bill English's home cooking skills, a pizza with spaghetti and pineapple, clearly shows this man hasn't spent too much time in the kitchen feeding his brood. His walk/run video, showed more puff than purpose and his America's Cup 'Yes" in the "privacy" of his living room showed all the enthusiasm of someone with sleep deprivation.

But then Andrew Little's no better, posting a video claiming to be landing some early punches, sparring with a punchbag which gave the appearance of a fighting rooster which used to be referred to as a cock. And then one ironing a shirt in his office, clearly in advance, considering the one he was wearing looked well pressed, while Jacinda Ardern held forth at a meeting of apparatchiks in the same office.

He should leave social media to his deputy if her latest one of surprising her sister at her wedding in the UK is anything to go by, it was pure gold and said much more about her personality than a pizza or an iron.

But tweets can say a lot too as hopefully my last one did: Bill English can't say how the last five million to America's Cup team was spent or whether a check was even done and he chaired Cabinet!