The Land Of Nod

Hi Ramblers,

One thing that I've noticed over the past 3 years or so of political interviews is this - quite often there is an anonymous nodder in the background, providing nods of approval at the appropriate moments during the spin that the politician is delivering, to act as a kind of subliminal approval prod, much in the same way that canned laughter is used to make you feel like laughing at stupid comedy like Australia's Funniest Home Video.

I wonder what the job description is for this very important role. It would run something like this, I would think:

• Must have a clearly defined neck that shows head nodding to good effect.
• Must have a fairly mediocre head, so that attention is not distracted from the politician you are nodding for.
• Must be slightly taller than the politician you are nodding for, so that the perspective is correct for the camera.
• Must be able to follow autocue prompts of [nod now] at the appropriate time.
• Must not overact, because too much nodding is just silly.
• Must not nod off during the interview.
• Must have head attached fairly solidly in case a significant quantity of nodding is required during a particularly nod-worthy interview.

I believe that both the Liberals and Labor have gym instructors and personal trainers specifically hired to maintain the nodders at their peak of fitness.