The petulant, self-serving racket made by Hastie himself was the only thing that made me watch the cartoon. I normally manage to get by without watching them. And yes. It wasn't all about Hastie, but all of the useless, nasty pricks infesting the political class. Hastie has an ego the size of a 44 gallon drum if he thinks he is anything other than just another backbencher.

The joke in Australian politics is that a bunch of far right populists, led by a pair of political illiterates, Hanson and Joyce, calling themselves One Nation have gained traction within the broader community. Its not that these policy degenerates did anything of their own accord to boost their appeal, more a case of the jerk brigade, aka the Coalition, vacating the centre stage where sensible political debate takes place, and allowing the wack jobs from One Nation to hold sway, be it from far stage right! Can't deny that those wack jobs are in the ascendancy at the present time, but things can change in the twinkling of an eye!

The Liberal Party has been flailing about trying to find their raison d'etre ever since the overthrow of Abbott. At that time they decided that simply winning was their only purpose and so they went through a series of leaders whose only offering was that they stood a better chance of winning than the current leader.

In the end, their only offering is that they aren't Labor or, more precisely, they aren't quite Labor. In retrospect it was probably inevitable that a new entity would arise that would gather support by rejecting all the shibboleths of the two majors.

A nation that is successful economically can afford to make all sorts of mistakes over things like immigration, climate change, trans issues, etc. But a nation where power costs skyrocket because of government missteps, where real wages are in decline, where real per capita growth is in decline, where quality of life is worsening....such a nation will be open to someone who comes along and promises to overturn all the policies that have led to the present mess.

The Liberals could be that party but are too genteel to be so gauche as to reject immigration from non-compatible regions or oppose throwing money at every interest group that gets a voice on (y)our ABC. In the end they still think that just being not-quite-Labor is the path to victory and that victory is all that matters. They still think that they'll eventually stumble upon someone who'll be able to sell the not-quite-Labor message and get them back on the lucrative treasury benches which is all they crave.

One Nation has and will make many missteps. But a people who see the cliff in the distance is prepared to hand the wheel to anyone who promises to apply the brakes and turn the car around.

Hi Trumpster,

The fact is there is little difference between the two parties of government, their DNA is 90% compatible. Both parties support the status quo, supporting the established institutions that give us our economic and social outcomes. The difference lies with emphases and priorities, not radical deviation from the accepted norms. Labor in government does not bring with it radical change, it functions much the same as the Coalition within our liberal democratic society. The Australian people have accepted that political arrangement since 1901. In times of perceived crises, radical fringe groups/parties tend to gain traction, while the major parties battle to maintain control.

YOU speak of a "cliff in the distance", I assume that is a metaphor for impending social and/or economic disaster for Australia. I don't buy that as the case might be, and I don't accept that a bunch of second rate ratbags in the form of One Nation should assume control of the "car", if they did all they would achieve is to put their foot on the accelerator and steer the car off the road and into the abyss! Is that what YOU want?

"Both parties support the status quo, supporting the established institutions that give us our economic and social outcomes. The difference lies with emphases and priorities, not radical deviation from the accepted norms. "

Yes. That's what I said. When Labor's in power the Libs campaign as not-quite Labor. They claim they'll basically do the same stuff but better. When the Libs are in power the ALP campaigns as not-quite Liberal. They claim they'll basically do the same stuff but more compassionately.

And all that's OK when the economy is humming along, wages are rising, living standards are rising, the future is brightening.

But that is no longer the case. Real wages are falling. Real living standards are falling. The future is looking increasingly bleak. As the current government continues to fumble the ball, being not-quite Labor is no longer feasible or a good electoral strategy.

These people you call "a bunch of second rate ratbags" worked that out ages ago, while people like you still struggle to come to terms with the changed circumstances. These "bunch of second rate ratbags" have already overturned the consensus on immigration with both not-quite Liberal and not-quite Labor vying to cut immigration the most. And these "bunch of second rate ratbags" have overturned the consensus on multiculturalism.

As much as you don't want it to be true, these "bunch of second rate ratbags" are setting the agenda for Australian politics at the moment. The Libs and even Albo's crowd are starting to see it. I'm sure you'll catch up.... eventually.

One Nation :noise with nothing positive to ever crow about!