Does the mere sight of Pauline Hanson set you off? You may be suffering from HDS, and helping her in the process. Photo: Pauline Hanson Please Explain/Facebook.
For years, Pauline Hanson was treated as a political sideshow.
This week, she addressed the National Press Club as the leader of a party enjoying the strongest support in its history.
One Nation is now polling ahead of the Coalition and Hanson herself has topped at least one preferred-prime-minister poll.
That rise has come with increased scrutiny, much of which is entirely justified.
But mixed in with the legitimate criticism is a growing amount of commentary that feels trivial, hysterical or simply unfair. Ironically, it’s exactly the sort of stuff that’s destined to make her more popular.
The idea that Hanson could become Australia’s next prime minister sounds ridiculous today.
Then again, so did the thought of Donald Trump becoming US president back in 2015.
His supporters coined the phrase “Trump Derangement Syndrome” to describe people who automatically opposed everything he said or did, regardless of merit. If Trump funded research into a cure for cancer, critics would complain he was putting oncologists out of work.
There’s a lot to dislike about Trump, but relentless outrage ended up helping him. He was able to point at the media and political establishment and claim they hated him because he challenged the system.
Something similar is happening with Hanson.
Critics are right to question some of her divisive rhetoric, the revolving door of MPs who have passed through One Nation, and whether the party’s policies match its claim to stand up for battlers.
But once you move beyond those substantive criticisms, a double standard starts to emerge. Much of the beltway media establishment holds Hanson to standards they would never apply to their drinking buddies in the major parties.
The protests against her appearing at the National Press Club suggest some opponents believe she doesn’t even deserve to be heard, even though millions of Australians support her. That same attitude often underpins the more petty and more selective attacks on her, fuelling what might be called Hanson Derangement Syndrome (HDS).
Do you suffer from it? Let’s find out.
Hanson has never delivered a hospital, bridge or dam in 30 years
This criticism pops up regularly.
Frankly, it’s a strange one.
The reason Hanson has never built a hospital is the same reason I’ve never built a hospital: she has never been in government.
Only governments control the Treasury and sign off on billion-dollar infrastructure projects.
Criticising a crossbench senator for not building a dam is a bit like slamming a goalkeeper for not scoring goals.
The argument essentially boils down to: “You must join a major party to make a difference.”
That’s exactly the sort of message that drives voters towards anti-establishment movements in the first place.
One Nation doesn’t have any policies
You might dislike them. You might think they’re simplistic. You might think some are bonkers.
But One Nation definitely has policies. There are pages of them on its website covering immigration, housing, energy, taxation, health and a long list of other issues.
The better criticism is whether those policies are practical or fully developed.
But let’s not pretend the major parties always provide detailed roadmaps either. Could you clearly articulate the government’s policy on immigration, for example? Apart from: open wide, come inside.
If One Nation is guilty of policy vagueness, it certainly isn’t alone.
Hanson doesn’t attend Parliament often enough
Hanson’s attendance in Parliament is starting to resemble Ferris Bueller’s school record: enrolled on paper, absent in practice.
But does this really matter?
Parliament is largely political theatre. MPs deliver speeches to mostly empty chambers and vote like sheep according to party instructions.
Has a politician ever crossed the floor after hearing a brilliant argument from the other side? Not for a long time.
Hanson’s supporters generally don’t care how many hours she spends in Canberra. They care whether she is talking about issues they think the major parties ignore.
Every story about her attendance record only reinforces her outsider credentials.
She gave her daughter Lee a job as an advisor
Nepotism in politics?
Stop the presses.
Next, you’ll tell me that politicians enjoy taxpayer-funded travel.
MP offices have been filled with relatives, friends, former colleagues and trusted allies since day dot.
Her daughter, Lee Hanson, has a substantial business background and has worked within the party for years.
You can argue whether she was the best person for the role, but portraying the appointment as some unprecedented scandal feels a touch dramatic.
Do you have HDS?
So, how did you react to those shocking revelations?
If one or two genuinely outraged you, you may have a mild case of Hanson Derangement Syndrome.
If three or more sent your blood pressure through the roof, I’m afraid your diagnosis is terminal.
America’s political class spent years obsessing over every minor Trump controversy while missing the bigger reasons people supported him.
If opponents want to stop Hanson, they should focus on the substantive arguments against her – of which there are many.
Because if they keep reaching for the trivial ones, they may end up doing exactly what Trump’s critics did: turning a protest candidate into something much bigger.
Original Article published by Oliver Jacques on Region Canberra.
