KEY POINTS:
It's no surprise that the Daily Express got all hot and bothered about Helen Clark's texting during the Queen's speech at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Uganda.
One of the more cringingly royalist of the English tabloids, the Express saw in the gesture the sign of a "rising tide of republicanism" threatening to swamp Her Majesty's most far-flung dominions.
Anyone who has had to sit through one of the Queen's speeches would probably sympathise with the PM. Perhaps she was keeping herself awake by playing Snake. But here at home, the news should be greeted with some concern. The PM's salary having gone up to $375,000 this month, the cost of her time in keying in a simple "Sup. Where r u?" would probably keep a family of four in groceries for a week - more if she hasn't mastered the art of predictive texting. If the matter gets more complex - a cabinet reshuffle, say ("That's it. Iv hd a gtsfl. Yr frd"), or a trans-Tasman ("On ya, Kev. Gd rdnce to the Tory bstrd") - you're getting into serious money.
And you have to ask whether it's a sensible use of resources. Surely once you get to the stage of running a country, you can have people who text for you, Prime Minister. That would leave your hands free to manipulate the controls on the PSP.
