Current mood:	aggravated
Entry tags:	frustration, politics

Had a comment passed back to me today by my mum. One of her friends, who is a local voter, has apparently opined that nobody is going to vote for me because I have 'all that ironwork' in my face. Well, yes, I have a small eyebrow piercing, and my tongue is pierced. Now, aside from the question of whether this has any impact whatsoever on my ability to represent local people and/or hold the local council to account - and I would posit that it doesn't - the guy in question is someone who is to be regularly found in the pub complaining how politicians are all the same, they are all corporate guys in suits, they don't understand the concerns of the working man, they're only interested in lining their own pockets, etc.

I just don't get it. If the electorate don't like the idea of self-important corporate men in suits being your representative, why don't they stop voting for them, and instead vote for someone who is none of those things? Or is an eyebrow ring more important than all that?

Don't get me wrong, I always knew that my appearance would be an issue, I'm not that naive. It's just a bit depressing to have the kind of attitude expressed by someone who has known me since I was eight.

Oh well. All I can do is put myself before the electorate and let them make their judgement. Hopefully not all of them will judge on how many piecings I have - or, for that matter, what colour my hair is - and will instead look at what I stand for.