Pauline has the attention span of a gnat for anything other than her
A cursory reading of the mass media might lead you to wonder if Pauline Hanson is set to be our next PM. Don't panic. The answer, I think, is as the lovely Princess Anne once said "Not bloody likely".
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It is true there has been a massive downfall in support for the two major parties and for the Greens. And there's no doubt about the uptake in One Nation popularity. But rather than One Nation being miles ahead there is a fairly even distribution of voting intention. If that stays as is, where the preferences fell would decide the day.
But will it stay as is? Perhaps not. Voting for someone, colloquially speaking, to stick it up the major parties is one thing. Making them Prime Minister is quite another.
Pauline seems to think she is a genius because she can tell people that she knows what they think. And in many cases she, along with most parliamentarians can. So what? That's just the beginning. You then have to work out what to do in response to public concerns. Pauline isn't big on solutions. Yes, Labor has let the immigration program fall out of control. We all know that. Even Labor knows it. They have recently cut back. You can argue about how much and in which categories, but there's movement. The opposition are crystal clear on cutting back. So what do you get if you vote for One Nation?
You get her, talking about her. Her communications are designed to confuse. You will have heard her say, almost ad infinitum, "It's not about me". It's just a cunning way of mentioning herself all the time. In a stunning explanation for not attending to parliamentary duties she said she gets out there with the people because "they like to see me". She can go out and see people in non sitting weeks, just like your member of parliament does. One Nation is, in the end, all about her.
She says she doesn't attend the boring administrative stuff. Yes, that's found in most jobs. Pauline, however, is too important to bother with that. The MPs and senators you elect, many of them ministers or shadow ministers can do all the dross. The stupidity and self centeredness of her position can be seen if you ask yourself what happens if everyone fails to show up because they think something would be boring.
Queenslanders will want to talk about the northern prawn fisheries, West Australians........
