A few months ago, Finnish prime minister, Sanna Marin, was caught in a scandal involving footage from her friends’ social media accounts becoming public. The footage showed her dancing, having fun, and enjoying life. Widespread public criticism followed, and she had to take a drug test that later turned out negative. Finally, Marin reminded people that she was human in an emotional speech, holding back tears. “I want to believe that people will value what we politicians do at work instead of what we do in our free time.”
Marin was the world’s youngest leader before Gabriel Boric became President of Chile early this year. She’s efficient, evidence-based, and praised for her work ethic. Amidst the threat of expansionist Russia, she bolstered Finland’s security by leading the country into NATO. This wasn’t enough to protect her from the hateful barrage of tabloids and social media comments, though.
Whatever activities politicians do in their free time shouldn’t matter more than their competence as leaders. This tabloid-style gossip in news and on social media can also shift attention away from more important leadership failures, and undermine pressing policy concerns. When Donald Trump was in office, news media frequently made fun of his clothing and health for clicks, overlooking significant concerns about his terrible policy decisions and behaviour as a leader.
Politicians aren’t celebrities. They’re civil servants with stressful high-profile jobs. They too, should be able to reap the benefits of living in their free and vibrant societies. Not awarding them some sort of sovereign immunity, they need space to have personal lives outside the public eye. We need to let them be, and focus on the important and relevant aspects of their jobs.
