Political partying: Canadian, Norway prime ministers need more security, decorum

Posted on 28 September 2022 by Ryan Dahlman

By Ryan Dahlman

Everybody should live their lives as they see fit. 

Enjoy it while you can. 

Carpe diem.

Etc. etc. etc. 

There has been a lot of talk (and really cheesy headlines) regarding Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his singing at a London Hotel mere days before the Queen funeral.

It is all a matter of perception: headlines read anywhere from “Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s impromptu tribute to the Queen includes hotel piano ‘Bohemian Rhapsody” to “‘Drunk Canadian PM Trudeau is slammed as a ‘tone deaf embarrassment’ for singing Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody at London Hotel before Elizabeth II’s state funeral.” PM singing Queen for Queen  Get it? Get it? Facepalm.

“Thunder bolt of lightning, very very frightening” indeed. 

Flashback a month ago where Finland Prime Minister Sanna Marin was videotaped at a party where she was with a punch of her friends who were partying it up. It was a wild party as they say with the party-goers having a lot of fun and it went from PG to borderline R rated. The party got a little wild and and somehow the video of she and her friends was released.

Both situations were bad in their own ways. Forgetting the opposition parties gleefully taking full advantage of “GOTCHA!” moments, but part of the issue is that ordinary citizens, some of which are having a difficult time financially, employment wise or even mentally, will look at their highly paid political leaders whooping it up on the taxpayers dime (which may or may not be true.

Plus, a lot of this is a matter of perception. One may have not noticed but Trudeau is extremely unpopular in some parts of Canada (sarcasm off) and something like this only adds fuel to the fire. In Marin’s case, there was disappointment in her because she has been a great leader, a young up and comer on the world stage. 

While there was complaints about Trudeau being tonedeaf in his singing, who could ever forget the very lavish and over the top Irish Eyes are Smiling at the 1985 Quebec City Shamrock Summit where Brian and Mila Mulroney sang with U.S. president Ronald Reagan and wife Nancy. This was during St. Patrick’s Day. 

In both cases, it was not a good look. It was embarrassing on so many levels and made them look juvenile and wreckless. This is not a “grumpy old man shaking a fist at a cloud” statement. Have fun and no one will fault you for that but honestly, they have to keep it secure. Imagine the G7 Summit which was held in the Bavarian Alps in Germany with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, President Joe Biden, French President Emmanuel Macron, Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi and Trudeau drinking large mugs of frothy beer, singing German drinking songs and doing the traditional German dance the Schuhplattler.

How much confidence would you have in them?

We have local civic governments and if the mayor or reeve of any municipal government got caught doing something subversive or embarrassing, they become the talk of the town. Those are your neighbours. Think what it is like for a global leader.

Here’s the deal. If anyone thinks that their particular federal, provincial political party members don’t carouse, they are ridiculously naive. They all do and you’re a hypocrite if you don’t believe it. Does it make it okay, mmmm, on your private time in most cases, you should be able to have your own life within reason. 

Where Trudeau and his handlers were not very smart was that he got caught and someone inevitably recorded it and released it. Do what you want to in a private function but politicians are either getting soft with their security or their attitude is just straight up arrogance and they don’t care. Trudeau and Marin face backlash from anyone that has a beef with them. The opposition is always looking for angle, a reason to complain, any added gasoline for their fire. 

In Finland, it caused a major furor and Finland PM Sanna Marin held a news conference which she was contrite but still defended herself: “it’s private, it’s joy and it’s life.”  

Sure, Justin can pretend he’s Freddie Mercury, but not intelligent for him or his handlers not to ensure security is airtight. Plus he needs to remember where he is. This is the Queen’s funeral. British royalty. The utmost in British decorum, royal tradition and plus it’s a solemn occasion. 

To the British or anyone small c conservative, he might as well have worn Bermuda shorts and sunglasses. Have a life yes, but when it’s time to put on big boy pants on not a fraternity beanie, be a leader. 

Everyone needs to have a life, have fun, be positive and enjoy themselves. Life can be pretty stressful but that is why as they say, they get paid the big bucks. They know they are under the microscope, they should act like it. 

Again, no one is telling them not to have fun but for goodness sakes, get better security or get a clue.

Ryan Dahlman is the managing editor of the Bow Island Commentator Prairie Post West, Prairie Post East