Let’s not beat around the bush. The standout moment of this campaign, in terms of sheer, unadulterated weirdness, is Ray Stevens’s dance. The LNP candidate was confronted by a journalist who had been pursuing him over a controversial sky rail project and, well, things got very weird. The full episode was caught on video but has there ever been better excuse to indulge in the medium of Gif ...
More recently, the Labor leader, Annastacia Palaszczuk, committed a massive blunder/minor brain-fart (delete according to political allegiance) during this 973FM radio quiz.
One of the weirder moments of Campbell Newman’s campaign involved him uttering one particular word 23 times during a 15-minute press conference. We’re confident everyone has had enough of the word at this point, so we’ll leave it to Campbell to fill you in.
While we’re with Newman, one of the quieter odd moments of his campaign occurred when he visited SeaFM radio in the Gold Coast. During his interview, he casually mentioned that he keeps 18 computers at home. To which our response must surely be, WT[actual]F? 18?!
Was Campbell revealing his cuddlier, nerdy side or perhaps his tin-hat conspiracy theorist tendencies?
This photo was snapped by the Courier-Mail’s Jack Tran at the LNP costing release. We include it because the composition creates a weird optical illusion. Not because of any deeper subtext relating to the party’s power dynamic. Honest.
Jack Tran from The Courier-Mail. Brilliant #qldvotes #9News pic.twitter.com/REcCNTeTiK
— Shane Doherty (@ShaneDoherty9) January 27, 2015
We were aiming for balance here but with Labor conducting a low-key campaign relative to the LNP, Campbell Newman seems to have found himself in much weirder predicaments than Annastacia Palaszczuk.
For example, one of his running criticisms of Labor is the alleged acceptance of donations from bikie gangs. Given the history of negativity in state political campaigns, the allegation itself is not weird.
However, when asked by journalists to provide evidence for his claims, the premier suggested they “Google it”. Not exactly a robust defence.
And he was at it again during Friday’s live debate. At this point in campaigning, Palaszczuk and the media alike appear to find it all a bit laughable.
Sometimes, Newman brings the weirdness on himself, like when he decided to sue the DJ Alan Jones a little more than a week before the vote. Jones is better known for his conservative commentary on talk radio but more recently criticised Newman and the LNP over mining in his hometown of Acland.
Newman says he’s been defamed. We say, doesn’t it seem negative and draw unwanted attention to the issue to file a lawsuit in the middle of a bid for re-election? Whatever the answer, it’s definitely a bit weird.
To finish, we have a gesture to the people of Queensland from the inimitable Jacqui Lambie. Sportingly, she acknowledges that, as a Tasmanian, Queensland politics aren’t really her bag. But she won’t let that small matter get in the way of scoring a point against the state and federal governments.
We’re not entirely sure what point she’s making though, so again, we leave you to draw your own conclusions.
Have we missed the best moment from one of the campaigns? Let us know in the comments.
