me thinks John voted for "One Nation" John the Libs have softened their language about all of the cross benches they have actually learnt something. ie it hard to get someone to vote for your policies if you just spent time telling everybody else their crazy.

One nations views haven't change much since she was last in, only instead of Asians it's Muslims, and instead of the liberals having a good margin in parliament they have a slim one. So have a re-read about what the Libs said about her party last time around and see what is relative, and remember that Tony spend some of his own money chasing her out of Parliament.

“It is never easy, of course, to read the collective 'electoral mind'.”

That’s because it doesn’t exist. In reality, each person has their own mind. The body politic is only a metaphor, and so is the alleged collective electoral mind.

“The right to free speech brings with it the right to be heard and, in present circumstances, also the obligation to be taken seriously,”

No it doesn’t.

“at least in respect of those matters of rational concern.”

That only begs the question what matters are of rational concern.

“The acquisition of Australian farms, businesses and infrastructure by foreign interests, particularly by sovereign funds”

These two short articles will correct your economic misunderstanding:
"A Negative Railway": http://mises.org/daily/5201/
and
"Must Free Trade Be Reciprocal?": http://mises.org/daily/6193/Must-Free-Trade-Be-Reciprocal

“the lack of discernment between foreign investment that brings with it new capital, creates new business and more jobs and the acquisition of established enterprises with profits going overseas;”

Ho hum, more economic ignorance, for curing which, see:

“Man, Economy and State” by Murray Rothbard
http://mises.org/Books/mespm.PDF

“Human Action” by Ludwig von Mises
http://mises.org/Books/humanaction.pdf

Hanson’s popularity, like Trump’s, reflects a widespread dissatisfaction with the business-as-usual of politics in general, and the major party duopoly in particular.

However their policies in general, and economic policies in particular, are substantially the same.

This is because all their assumptions about the nature of government are the same. They assume government to be a kind of benevolent if somewhat blundering institution, or some kind of social management tool if somewhat liable to mysterious capture by corrupt interests.

As theories of what government is, these are really not much better nor worse than the divine right of kings, or the currently fashionable lunatic idea that it’s a kind of large-scale thermostat.

While ever there is this confusion about what the state is and is not, we will continue to suffer the same plague of ignorant ambitious demagogic sociopaths masquerading as social leaders.

(Hint: it’s the legal monopoly of force and threats, dummy:
https://mises.org/sites/default/files/Anatomy%20of%20the%20State_3.pdf)

Well she was a former fish shop owner and small business owner. To suggest this is a derogatory term is a very long bow, when in fact it is her history, and defines her level of business acumen.

I think the point being made is, does that then fit her to represent a state, in our nation's capital?

And should we encourage bigots to represent a minority view as blockers rather than movers or person of uncommon vision able to unite the country, as opposed to tearing it asunder?

She claims to be concerned about fundamentalists getting into the parliament the country etc, yet is more fundamental in her own rigid views than those she critiques? All that has changed is the target of her xenophobia?

It's going to be a long three to four years, maybe?
Alan B.

As long as we have are arrogant know-alls like Jardine K Jardine we will have rabble rousers like Pauline Hanson

Old Man - Now try saying something constructive about the issue, and people may listen to you.

The elite political class with the likes of Obama, Turnbull and Shorten and left wing media are largely responsible for Hanson's popularity. Turnbull repeats political mantra like Islam is a religion of peace despite people every day seeing what a joke that statement is. The elite political class were very popular in France not to long back. They now even persist with their idiotic ideology despite their people being treated like cattle.

People might have been dumbed down by decades of socialist education but are not so dumb as to see what is happening in front of their noses every day. They also realise that not all white men commit dv. In fact far more black men do. Not all women are innocent angels. In fact the feminaza are cruel ugly and bad for society.

That the ABC is leading the charge against Hanson comes as no surprise.

They are an unregistered Political Party, comprised of inner city "Progressive Elites" that hold a line close to the Watermelon Party...aka "The Greens"

This party is paid for by the Australian great Unwashed previously at 8 cents a day ...now much higher..

We appear to have perilous times ahead then!? - 'Political correctness' is an anathema that needs to be seriously challenge

It's simple: people who sneer at Pauline Hanson also sneer at freedom of speech. They don't like it;they fear it. How dare anyone disgree with what they think!

Pauline Hanson speaks the truth. Her detractors are strangers to the truth. They are cowardly little toads who think that trying to belittling their targets and calling them names will make them go away. Wrong, in the case of Hanson. She has guts and no fear. After 20 years she is back, just when most needed and, she will put it right up squirts like Turnbull and his lefty acolytes. We might even get our country back.

For years I have heard and read bits here and bits there purporting to evaluate Pauline Hanson but only once heard her speak. Indonesia was embroiled in a financial crisis and the Australian Government, foolishly, was stumping up a donation to help them out. Hanson, then an MP, suggested the butcher Soeharto first empty his Swiss bank accounts to aid his country. The howls of dismay were deafening. Bigot. Racist. Etc Etc. I don't like bigots and racists, but from that day on I rather liked her. Quite pleased she has made it back into parliament and am looking forward to tonight's Q&A when she will be on the panel. The Mossie-lovers will no doubt try to chew her up but she seems a tough cookie.

[I'm not as forgiving as Ms Hanson. The time for us to lift a hand for the Indos is when they have tried and executed the Kopassus killers who murdered the Balibo Five, or at the very least have handed them over to the war crimes talkfest in The Hague].

The only reason we are graced with the effigy called Hanson a woman and so called political party,is because she knows a good racket when she sees one cause it pays 1.3 mil, Hello easy money for her who like Bolt Googles her policy as he Googles his columns.
A fraud who people for some odd reason believe,bit like that other idiot called Monkton BS in extremist credibility nil

Suggrst you should go to https://www.thereligionofpeace.com/ for some factual material on Islam

One needs to only recall Pauline Pants Down to revisit the Make Fun of Fish-n-Chipshop-ology of such Youtubes as this: https://youtu.be/KDwsBv-jjQU

"Will she once more become a joke figure and the butt of sneering comments and ridicule by hubristic opinion-makers?" Never!

Poor Pauline.

Before there are any more snooty remarks against Senator Hanson perhaps you can answer a couple of questions.
Why have politicians allowed massive loans to be taken out to inflate house prices but do nothing constructive. Why have our "betters" happily allowed our country to slide into massive debt?
These are rhetorical of course. It suits the political elite, the snobs and the ABC. Now the spoiler appears! I am sure like "Brexit" they will be blamed by the perpetrators for the results of their own misguided policies.

Remember how the left whinge outrage damaged Trump?

Looks like Hanson has a close political ally in Senator Jacqui Lambie on Muslims. See ABC online July 19, 2016 article http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-07-19/jacqui-lambie-wants-inquiry-into-radicalisation-of-muslims/7640960

Hanson wants her Royal Commission into Muslims and Lambie is now advocating "a Senate inquiry into the radicalisation of Muslims in Australia."

"Senator Lambie told 936 ABC Hobart she supported some of Ms Hanson's views and suggested an inquiry.

"I think a lot of the Muslim community would support an investigation, whether it be a Senate inquiry, into exactly what is going on in radicalisation in this country," she said.

"That's what needs to be opened up. We need to get in, we need to find out whether it's coming from the mosques, we need to be honest and open about what is going on.

"We have a problem with sharia law in this country, we have a problem with terrorism in this country and we have a problem with Islam in this country."

There is only one thing worse than seeing a person like Hanson as a Senator in our parliament, and that is thinking about both her and Senator Lambie joining together to agree on anything!

There is no way on earth that this Government would consider any expensive, time-wasting 'Royal Commision' into Islam or radicalisation of Muslim youth. The only way people like Lambie and Hanson and their followers would be happy would be to have no Muslims in Australia.

However, like many other multicultural countries, we already have Muslim residents and citizens living here. We can't just throw out our own citizens just in case they might become terrorists. That notion is both immoral and extremely stupid.

A reasonable person might wonder, why is it that so many young educated women today smoke cigarettes and wear tattoos? Every time I see a young woman with a fag in her mouth, and ink on her arms, it is almost always some tertiary educated, fashion obsessed skeleton sporting the anti authoritarian "bad girl" look.

The reason is, of course, that the media is very good at controlling human behaviour by presenting certain behaviours as fashionable. By fashionable, I mean behaviour pertaining to the young, beautiful, moneyed, and supposedly smart set. You may be young, dumb, ugly, and have no money. But you can still look the part if you wear a Prada blouse, skin tight stone washed jeans with torn knees, an ugly tattoo, and Manano Blahnik shoes. The image is sort of funky prole.

And as with clothing apparel, tattoos, and cigarettes, so to with political fashions. The trendy left completely infests the entertainment media, and it is they who set the fashions for the young people to follow. The trendies may have high intelligence when it comes to creativity, but when it comes down to plain common sense, they appear to lack the street level brains of working class and bourgeoisie people. It is no surprise that the Aum cult in Japan specifically targeted university students for their bizarre and murderous "religion." The Aum's leader knew that in many ways, educated elites are completely naïve and prone to believing that anti social behaviour is a fashion accessory.

Pauline Hanson wants to stop Muslim immigration. That this is a screamingly sensible proposal is beyond dispute. But unfortunately this does not sit well with socialist social theory, which states that all cultures and races are equal, and therefore national borders should not exist. Unable to effectively defend their bizarre concept in open debate, the Left is very effective in using a different tactic. The trick is to shoot the messenger.

Continued.

Continued.

Older people will remember that the Left media did exactly the same thing to US Vice President Dan Quayle. Since the left's peculiar views are impossible to defend using reasoned logic, it is imperative that the Left presents it's arguments as those of the young, beautiful, smart and successful. But Dan Quayle shattered that image because he was smart and had Robert Redford good looks. So they always presented him in the media as a fool, and they were very successful in presenting him as such.

Now, Pauline is no Nigel Farage or Dan Quayle. However much plain common sense her message makes, she is a very inarticulate person. She obviously suffers from on-screen anxiety, and she struggles to get a coherent message across on TV. Her efforts are often wincingly bad. The Left does not need to try too hard to present a false image that Pauline is stupid. But perceptions are everything in the media. Reasoned arguments and logic are boring, especially ones presented by an inarticulate person, and they don't sit well with 30 second sound bites.

The message that the left can easily present then, is that Pauline's lamentable TV presentations proves that she and her fellow racists are stupid. And if you are a "smart" young person and you care about your self image, you don't want to identify with an old, dumb, fish and chip shop woman do you? You don't even need to think about what she says. As with Dan Quayle, the Left then does it's best to always present Pauline as an idiot. Everything from unflattering momentary images of her, to always laughing at everything she says.

It is very effective. And the best part is that you do not need to address the inconvenient facts that are perfectly self obvious. The more Muslims you have in any western society, the more terrorism you are going to have. And the more Muslims, the more rapes, riots, child brides, honour killings, female genital mutilation, homophobia, violent crime, and social breakdown your society is going to have. All paid for by Centrelink.

Well said Lego.
Have you noticed that the Q & A audience now have their own "Laughter squad"? anyone not left is then met with howls of laughter, especially when they start making a good point.
The Q & A audience has a large proportion of left wingers, especially whiny school teachers and the organised laughter squad. Then they put themselves down as Liberal supporters.
Barnaby Joyce complained to a constituent on the Australian Story a few weeks ago of the audience.
The more I look at it the more I think that the ABC needs to have it's sails well and truly trimmed. Shorten virtually promised them an increase if he won. Give them a big clip and remind them there is always next years budget too!

The ABC is renown for being leftist biased and politically correct.

Given the ever-evolving advances in communications and the apparent breaching of its charter, the minister for communications could earn multi brownie points by calling for a review of the continuing need, if any, for an ABC.

Suse-online

We are not calling for muslims already here to be deported, we are calling
for a ban on bringing further muslims in.
At least for 5-10years or however long it takes for these territorial attacks
on our home soil.to stop.

Radicalised my foot, they are just carrying out crimes of extreme racial hatred,dressed up as religion to justify it.
This is not being caused by Western societies, this mind set isnt being actively
discouraged in their muslim homes and schools.
Most good well bought up kids who have been taught right from wrong simply dont go out and blow up and kill random people.
Its a failure of the parents when this happens in any family.

These Abc idiots, call the Pauline Hanson supporters and Raise up Australia groups,
stupid etc, but they have all been brainwashed by left wing hippy, love and peace
ideology preaching, University academics, and they are too stupid and like sheep
to realise it. The universities have a monetary self interest in preaching this crap
because they depend on foreign students to earn their big professor salaries.

I know the hippy,left-wing mind set well, i grew up with it,
and in my teens and twenties believed in it. But my observation of mankind and the realities of how things are in
real life caused me to realise, that it had nothing backing it up.

This wonderful idea of sitting around smoking the peace pipe and talking about love brother is their whole plan. Well other races couldnt give two hoots about your love and peace, insincerity talks, That doesnt feed their kids or keep them warm at night.
No, they want what you've got, wealth and resources, now,that will feed their families
and solve their problems.
Better still if they can eventually gain control of the whole country and its wealth and resources through immigration or usually by war, that suits them even better.
You can always back the horse called self interest as to why humans do things.

Theres no hippy tolerance love and peace involved in it. self interested survival is it.

As with any other reactionary group, Ms Hanson's views deserve a hearing. We tend to get too comfortable with prevailing opinion.

The reason the people are voting for Pauline, Trump and Brexit, Alan B, is all because of the attitudes expressed by people such as your good self.

By claiming that Pauline Hanson, a lowly fish shop owner, is unfit to represent an electorate, Alan B just insulted most of the population of Australia. Most Australians are working class and small business class, and how you think you are going to win them to your potty and disintegrating causes by sneering at them as "xenophobes" and "bigots", before you even make your case as to why Pauline is wrong, has got me beat. But keep it up, because that is the way to lose a debate.

Those "movers and shakers" you so much admire have gotten the entire western world into about $15 trillion dollars dept, and they have unleashed upon their innocent populations a jihad from imported terrorists who want to forcibly convert all western countries into dysfunctional Islamic ones.

No matter how much you strut and pose your moral superiority, the self evident reality is, that the more Muslims you bring into a western country, the more terrorism, child brides, violent criminal behaviour, honour killings, welfare dependency, no go areas enforced by Sharia police, restrictions on freedom of speech, and restrictions on civil liberties to prevent terrorism. And if you can not see that, well the rest of the "dumb" population most certainly can. And for you to even imply that they are stupid, makes them wonder about your sanity.

Those politicians in the USA, Britain, Germany, France, and every other western country who says that Islamic immigration into their countries must be banned, will be the ones who get the votes in the years to come. And every terrorist act in every western country will convince more and more voters that they are the only ones with the brains to understand what is going on. Your socialist humanitarian 1960's philosophy is as ridiculous as Creationism.

What Islam has done, is to prove that the" racists", "xenophobes" and "bigots" were right all along.

Just typical oikophobia by small minded, insecure Leftie haters.