Every western style economy rests on just two support pillars! And they're energy and capital! And should never ever be privatized unless as nation building cooperatives!

That are like a race winner, minus the lead in the economic saddle bags!

We need to end the endless prevarication and economy harming ideological imperatives! Like that old hoary chestnut, the government has no business in business!

So it can vacate the field to the predators, when instead they need an urgent review and a return to bipartisan pragmatism!

In which case, we would embrace Nuclear energy, as myriad, mass produced SAFE, CLEAN thorium reactors, that allowed our manufacturing sector to be resuscitated with the cheapest power on the planet!

Then use that to enable cooperative capitalism/competitive edge that allows all those who work to keep the fruits of their labor!

The government's role, facilitators that enable enterprise and innovation by the entrepreneurs and their "resident" partners in our midst? And just get on as essential service providers that enable enterprise and endevour!

To that end, roll out rapid rail and fast ferries to link them with minimal handling, to our (scale of economy) markets!

Any an all infrastructure that is delayed for a decade, doubles in cost! Two decades, quadruples! So if we need to borrow? Now is the best time, while the cost benefit analysis still stacks up! I promise, it'll never get easier or cheaper!
So just don't do something, stand there!
Alan B.

A lot of baseless conjecture Toby, and nothing to support your conclusions.
Politicians have support from people who like their policies.
You have shown no reason for this to be any different in the case of Trump or Hanson.

Exercise some control over your imagination, and you may be able to talk some sense.

While it's true that globalisation has widened the gap between rich and poor, Trump and Hanson supporters are generally ill-informed reactionaries who just want to blame someone for the state of their own dissatisfied lives.

They are addicted to outrage and cling to every conspiracy that comes their way.

I hear their factually incorrect paranoid rants on talk-back radio almost every day in spite of irrefutable evidence against them and many are not capable of independent or rational thought.

Fear and hate are the strongest emotions and advertisers know that happy people don't spend as much as miserable ones but they also tend to lash out and vote against everything they can because it's the only way they feel powerful.

Trump and Hanson have no real policies or solutions, just a deep well of resentment that others drink from willingly and eagerly.

Things can certainly be better but supporting Trump and Hanson because they are not someone else is the equivalent of "cutting off your nose to spite your face".

Building walls and demonising entire groups of people is just a step away from building internment camps and that never ends well for anybody.

Trump and Hanson supporters are generally ill-informed reactionaries who just want to blame someone for the state of their own dissatisfied lives."

"Building walls and demonising entire groups of people is just a step away from building internment camps and that never ends well for anybody."

And I doubt the irony was intententional.

R0bert

rache says "Trump and Hanson have no real policies or solutions, just a deep well of resentment that others drink from willingly and eagerly. "
I keep hearing this but its simply not true. What they have are policies that differ from the mainstream parties and address concerns held by large numbers of people.
Trump has the policy of controlling the US borders and determining who enters the country and who doesn't. Funnily enough this is exactly the same as the current Australian policy. This addresses the concerns of working class Americans who must compete with around 15 million illegal immigrants for work and as such drives down wages. It also addresses the concerns of those who's neighbourhoods have demographically changed beyond recognition. He also has the policy of stopping Muslim migration. This addresses the real concern that America is increasingly becoming a target for Muslim terrorism. It seems the elite in the USA are unconcerned by the threat of terror attacks but ordinary people have seen the horrendous attacks in Paris where Muslim terrorists have massacred hundreds of people. they don't want to see that happen in their own country and hence don’t want their leaders to emulate the open door policies of Europe.

In addition Trump has promised to renegotiate free trade deals which have led to the destruction of the manufacturing industry in the US.
Hanson policies are very similar and address similar issues.
I do not see it as racist to be proud of your history and culture and to value that culture above all others and wish to maintain that culture for the benefit of your children and grandchildren. All cultures and nations feel this way except for western elites who seem to be racked with self loathing and seem to yearn for the destruction of their own culture. Hanson addresses concerns about certain groups of immigrants (Muslims) not integrating into Australian society but rather maintaining their own cultural traditions which are utterly opposed to Australian culture. Many Australians share this concern but the major parties simply dismiss their concerns as racism or ignorance. That is why people vote for Trump and Hanson.