THE Old Parliament House-housed Museum of Australian Democracy launched an online exhibition called “The Power of 1” in which it called for people to share their views about Australian democracy, to “have your say with a selfie” and add a portrait to the “faces of democracy” gallery.

And that’s where it all went pear-shaped,  as Buzzfeed’s Mark Di Stefano reported.

Some of the selfie respondents took to the unmoderated gallery selflessly, with one plumpish, reclining nude man sharing his, well, everything with the nation. And there was another environmentally friendly topless woman amid the gallery of faces.

BuzzFeed called the Museum of Australian Democracy to alert it to what was popping up on the page. And, in a seeming flash, three hours later democracy was overruled, the exhibition was closed and the nude man lost to the ether if not his underpants.

Let there be lights!

IN a letterboxed flyer to residents of Belconnen and Gungahlin, the shrewd Liberal Deputy Leader Alistair Coe contrasts perfectly the difference in thinking between his party and the Labor government when it comes to road infrastructure.

He illustrates tellingly the Labor solution to northern road congestion with an eye-blinking nine sets of traffic lights on the Barton Highway roundabout and the Liberal proposal of a bog-standard, straightforward flyover.

When the government has feelings for you…

EAT your heart out Cusacks… in a snub to the unhip furniture retailing taxpayers of Canberra, the ACT government’s Visit Canberra website has enthusiastically listed the Swedish furniture store Ikea as an attraction and one it cheerfully endorses.

“Visit Ikea Canberra and spend the day strolling through the 11,000 square metre showroom and market hall and browsing over 8500 products,” bubble the bureaucrats.

“Get design inspiration from room sets, enjoy a lunch of world-famous meatballs in the Ikea restaurant and take the kids to Smaland, their internal children’s care facility.”

According to Visit Canberra (aka the government), Ikea “aims to create a better everyday life by offering well-designed, functional and affordable, high-quality home furnishing products that are produced with care for people and the environment.”

Dancing with a star

LOCAL dancer Alex Carson, pictured, now performing with Janet Jackson on her Unbreakable World Tour, is returning from the US to run workshops at her old school, Dance Central, noon-3pm, on Saturday, November 28.

The dance school has been celebrating its 10th anniversary with an open day at its newly renovated studio at 13-15 Altree Court, Phillip.

“When Dance Central opened I started taking hip hop classes, which evolved into foundations, jazz, contemporary, Latin and fitness,” says grateful Alex, who has never looked back.

Weeds? Blame the tram

WHO knew? African lovegrass, serrated tussock and Madagascan fireweed are cutting a swathe across the ACT, warns Liberal environment spokesperson Nicole Lawder.

And why are we under siege from weeds? It’s all thanks to the Barr government pruning the funding for weed management from the current Budget, she says. What’s more we appear to have been deserted by the ACT’s weeds advisory group that, not sensing the crisis, hasn’t recently met (or perhaps fled the overgrown city).

Drawing the longest of bows, she said: “Unlike the Barr government, the Canberra Liberals care about proper management of basic services like weed control, instead of directing all of our attention into a $1 billion light rail project.”