Sight for sore eyes

Former police minister Stuart Nash may be looking uncomfortable right now, but his boss is also facing a case of bad optics.

- MICHELE HEWITSON

Here's a tip for politicians: if there is any possibility you're going to do dumb things - and it's always a possibility - don't post clips online of yourself lifting dumbbells in the parliamentary gym. And especially do not caption your post with this bit of he-man one-up-manship: "5 sets of 12 reps with 45kg dumbbells (no heavier weights available in parliamentary gym)."

Stuart Nash, now the former police minister, did, a few years ago. And of course, he had the mickey taken out of him. That "no heavier weights available" is tragic man-bragging. Presumably, it was supposed to be a joke. It was about as funny as having a 45kg dumbbell dropped on your noggin. Former National MP Alfred Ngaro responded with a ha-ha video of his own, showing him lifting 1kg weights. Take that, tough guy, aka Stuart "Dumbbells" Nash. If you are tin-eared enough to post clips of yourself sweatily lifting weights, somebody is bound to bestow that sobriquet upon you. In this case the somebody is me. Because who could possibly resist?