Amy Remeikis reports in the Brisbane Times (6.1.17) on the mixed fortunes of the One Nation Party in the federal political arena, arguing that, with Pauline Hanson at the helm, the party’s measure of success will always depend on its performance in its ‘native’ Queensland.
‘It was Queensland where One Nation was born, brash, unsophisticated and ‘true’, and it was Queensland where it gave out, broken, bitter and betrayed.
‘So it only makes sense that nearly 20 years later, a little bit broken itself with higher than average unemployment, a wounded economy and a state government out of ideas, that Queensland resurrected One Nation.
‘But Queensland has changed since Pauline Hanson and her promises first became a political force. It seems One Nation has not.
‘… One Nation does not have the resources, the patience, or the experience to vet its candidates, or those it attracts, and it lacks the boundaries to corral the ones it has.
‘It’s Queensland where we will see just how powerful the One Nation wave is. And it’s Queensland where we will see if it can steady the ship, laden as it is with the hopes and dreams of the rebels, unsure of the cause they’ve attached themselves to.’