Ratdog-Turned-Political-Hopeful Alex Dyson Has Announced His Policies Via Interpretive Dance
Vote 1 Ratdog.
Politicians are comedians, whether they regard themselves as such or not, so it makes a lot of sense that this forthcoming federal election, you won’t be able to move for bumping into stand-ups and ex-radio hosts, from Michael Hing to noted ratdog Alex Dyson.
Hing, one of the key creative voices behind The Feed, is running as a kind of formal protest vote — he’s making a big deal of the fact that he doesn’t intend to announce any policies of his own at all, instead, allowing his stances to be shaped by punters via internet polls (which, given how referendums have turned out over the last few years, seems like a dangerous idea.)
One time triple j co-host and noted stand-up Dyson, by contrast, is running something like a typical pollie’s campaign — as long as your definition of ‘typical’ leaves room for interpretive dance.
Yes, rather than announce his policies via the usual vaguely stirring, mostly rather dull video that pollies tend to rely on come election season, Dyson has instead decided to explain himself via a dance routine so involved that it would make Kate Bush blush.
For the record, Dyson’s policies all sound bang on the money — he’ll push forward thinking legislation on the environment; investment in wind and solar energy; upgraded transport options; greater focus on mental health; and independence from the dreaded Canberra bubble.
What more could any self-effacing resident of Wannon, the seat Dyson is running for, possibly want?
Of course, there is something a little unnerving about celebrities using their name recognition in order to sway the outcome of elections in their favour — after all, the Americans allowed themselves to be won over by a media personality, and look how that’s turned out for them.
But hey, at the very least, Dyson’s election campaign promises to shake up the stuffy old norm of politics — which is exactly what this election season needs.