Archive Article: A Week Is A Long Time In Politics. June 26 98.
December 27, 2008

A week is a long time in politics. Political history is full of stories of meteorites: meteors that have flashed through the skies, burnt out and then crashed to earth. Pauline Hanson is a meteor.

For the past two years I have been warning that Pauline Hanson is one of the most significant politicians in Australia and that her popularity was not just a media exaggeration. I naturally feel vindicated by the Queensland State election.

Now let me make another controversial prediction: Pauline Hanson will have a short career in politics. First, she has done a skilful job in mobilizing the anger throughout the community. But political parties have to run on more than just protest. She will need to generate some ideas and these will be exposed to a harsh media scrutiny.

Second, the media are even more interested in personalities than policies and so she will personally attract even more media scrutiny. Every foible, every failing, every slip of the tongue will now be subject to the intense media spotlight. She will also be a victim of the tall poppy syndrome: Australians are ambivalent about successful people (they love both to admire them and tear them down).

Third, part of her popularity for the past two years was that she was not a politician; she was just a humble (if rather affluent) fish and chip manager, who was off to Canberra to batter the rotten fish. Now she is a political leader herself. She will be involved in all the horse-trading that brings so much contempt on all the other politicians. Finally, One Nation is bound to attract a variety of individuals and organizations with their own agendas. Some of these will have some very unsavoury viewpoints. Meanwhile, many Australians have some doubts about, for example, multiculturalism but they are not violent people and do not advocate violent policies. But One Nation is bound to be tarred with some of the extremist elements attracted to it and these will deter more mainstream Australians from supporting One Nation.

This prediction will, no doubt, provide some comfort to the major political parties, which are running scared of the Hanson bandwagon. They may think that all they have to do is to remain calm and wait for One Nation to self-destruct.

Therefore, here is another warning. A distinction has to be made between Pauline Hanson herself (whom I believe will have a short, turbulent career in politics) and Hansonism: the Australian brand of the politics of anger.

There is, as I have been warning for some years, a deep-seated anger in the community at the pace of change, the globalization of the Australian economy and the inability of governments to deal with the problems of the new era. These issues cannot be addressed overnight – even if mainstream politicians were serious about wanting to do so. After all, some of the trends began over a quarter of a century ago.

Therefore, irrespective of the political fate of Pauline Hanson, this anger will remain. It will be mobilized by later politicians. There is more to Hansonism than just a Queensland politician.

BROADCAST ON FRIDAY JUNE 26 1998 ON RADIO 2GB’S “BRIAN WILSHIRE PROGRAMME” AT 9 PM, AND ON JUNE 28 1998 ON “SUNDAY NIGHT LIVE” AT 10.30 PM.