Post #3554715

The media: Support for One Nation is up! The public: How come? The media: Disillusionment with the major parties! The public: Disillusionment over what? The media: Not being listened to! The public: Listened to about what? The media: Free speech! The public: What kinds of free speech? The media: Offensive stuff! Things that political elites find offensive! The public: So free speech as in Pauline Pantsdown songs? Calling Gina Rinehart an heiress (which led her to threaten to sue journalists for defamation)? Vincent Namatjira paintings? Discussions of the true colonial history of Australia? The media: Not that kind of stuff political elites find offensive! And also there's other issues! The public: What kind of other stuff? The media: The cost of living! The public: Is support up among people who speak a language other than English at home? The media: Ummm... No. The public: First and second generation migrants? The media: Not really. The public: People from non-European backgrounds? Queer people? Trans people? Climate scientists? The media: Probably not. The public: Doesn't the cost of living also affect people from non-European backgrounds and people who aren't straight or cisgendered? The media: I mean it does... But that's not the point! The public: So just who is supporting One Nation? The media: Rural, regional, and outer suburban voters, typically older. The public: But not from non-European backgrounds? The media: Precisely! The public: So whites? The media: DON'T SAY THAT OR THEY'LL GET OFFENDED! The public: So what's her policy on healthcare? Public education? The minimum wage? Award rates? The media: Well, we haven't really asked too many questions about that stuff, but it's fairly safe to say they're all getting cut. Also, Pauline's said on the record that maternity leave should be axed and workers get paid too much. And One Nation has voted against every bill that extends or strengthens workers rights. The public: So if cost of living is the big issue, and people feel they aren't represented by the big parties, why not The Greens? The media: They're extreme! The public: Hold on. If you're a wage earner, The Greens policies, which include increasing funding for public schools, abolishing TAFE and uni fees, and putting dental care into Medicare, are likely to do a lot more to help you out financially than what One Nation's offering. So surely their support would be going up too right? The media: Only among queer people and voters from non-European backgrounds who are concerned about the cost of living. The public: Okay, so what's the real reason older white voters are supporting an anti-immigration party like One Nation? The media: We can't say. The public: Why not. The media: They'll be offended. #auspol #politics #capitalism #socialism #Australia