Once again, students have demonstrated moral leadership in this country. The thousands of mainly school students, who walked out of class as part of the “Students say No to Hanson” national day of action, called by the National Union of Students on August 13, took the sort of mass action that other sections of society need to follow.

Just as in July 1998, when some 10,000 students mobilised around the country in response to the earlier political rise of Pauline Hanson and her racist One Nation party, the trade unions were too conservative, or too timid, to mobilise their members against her toxic, right-wing populist politics of hate and division.

As a direct consequence of this political failure, a significant section of the working class was duped into supporting One Nation in the late 1990s and more so today.

Numerous opinion polls, taken over the last few months, show that an even bigger proportion of the working class is being duped into supporting One Nation, compared to the late 1990s.

While recent polls do show some decline, One Nation continues to log about 25% support. It is exploiting public disenchantment with the traditional parties of government, that has been sharpened by the cost-of-living crisis and........

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