What a wonderfully wide-ranging sneer! A slow, sweeping loop of the scythe through recent political history, all in order to make a few snide remarks about somebody who is guilty of nothing more than having another stab at those fifteen minutes of fame.

But perhaps there is more to it than this. Perhaps the lady is a target we have to attack on sight, in an attempt to convince ourselves that she doesn't represent the voice of Australia, while secretly harbouring the fear that yes, actually, she does. Brash, sharp-voiced, outspoken, a sandwich short of the political picnic, with the nasal twang we pretend we don't have, and the utter conviction that her way is the right way. The ultimate Collingwood supporter in fact.

I wish her a long and thorough exposure in the field of "personality TV", and hope that she graces the medium for many years to come.

OK I got a bit lost in regard to what Jackui was trying to say.

I don't personally see a big contradiction between giving to help the genuine needy in asia and giving support to Pauline (other than my distaste for the whole celebrity thing).

We like the underdog and the victims of the Tsunami are certainly hard hit. Many of us had a strong reaction to the way Pauline was treated by her opponents - you did not have to agree with her or believe that she had viable answers to be concerned at the ruthless attempts to stifle debate over an issue which was of concern to many.
When Pauline was treated the way she was all of us who value the freedom to explore and discuss ideas saw a dark shadow over that freedom. From the sidelines debunking Paulines ideas appeared to place a very long way behing attacking her personally with her critics.

Pauline appeared to lack the skills to express her concerns in a useful manner and nobody else in public life appeared willing to initiate a debate we should have had. I suspect that her concern was over the perception that asian immigration was at a level which threatened local cultural values.

The language of race and culture can get kind of murky. The speed with which any attempt to discuss the issue of cultural impact is labeled racism makes it hard to have a meaningful dialog or to clarify the language.

Perhaps the real harm to regional relations was done by those who cried racist to avoid debate rather than Pauline who may have just struggled to say what she meant in a clear manner.