I am somewhat perplexed about why such a fuss is being made over Christine Rankin's recent appointment to the Families Commission.
Or for that matter, why John Key and his Government would want to buy a fight over this issue.
It's not as if Rankin has been given a real job that does anything important. How many of us even know what the Families Commission does? I thought it was this pointless quango only set up as a sop to Peter Dunne back when Helen Clark wanted to buy his party's vote a couple of elections ago?
There is no doubt Rankin's propensity for wearing short skirts and big ear rings, or making outrageous decisions about where to hold conferences for useless government departments, political views, as well as her fondness for appropriating husbands like some kids collect stamps, does tend to polarise people.
However, some of the claims already being made about this rather unimportant appointment seem way over the top to the Saint. We have the press gallery reef fish and other beltway commentators parroting that this decision is the beginning of the end as we know it for John Key's Government.
Meanwhile, card-carrying Rankin haters are almost apoplectic over the appointment, which has harnessed their new found faith in protecting families and caused them so much distress that somehow Rankin will single-handedly destroy our country's belief in this most noble institution. This is nonsense of course. The reality is that Christine Rankin believes in the family so much that she's had four of them!
Let's get some perspective here. This decision is not going to bring down the government, or make it more popular. It will not annihilate the concept of family as we know it, or bring about the end of the world.
Quite frankly, who gives a toss. Can we all go and worry about something more important-like whose marriage will Christine will ruin next!
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