Pauline Hanson & "One Nation"

Paulie Hanson achieved notoriety in Australia through a strident and nasal campaign against Asian immigration into Autralain in the 1990s. She was preselected for the Liberal Party for the Division of Oxley at the 1996 federal election, but was disendorsed before the election because of those views. She was elected in a huge upset as in Independant as Oxley was a safe Labour seat. However, times had changed and given a chance to express their views, the Ipswich electors did. In 1997, Hanson co-founded Pauline Hanson's One Nation, a right-wing political party with a populist, conservative, and anti-multiculturalism platform. As I prefer Asians to Bogans and education to ignorance I've never been a fan of hers nor the ignorant and nasty young leftists "demonstrating" outside her public meetings.

After a few ups and downs - including false imprisonment - and being always despised by the commentariat and chardonnay sippers she has returned to the Commonwealth parliament with 3 other senators from her party elected. The One Nation policy on Islam is straightforward:

One Nation Muslim PolicyPauline Hanson’s One Nation Policy

We will enact the following:

  • Call for an inquiry or Royal Commission to determine if Islam is a religion or political ideology
  • Stop further Muslim Immigration and the intake of Muslim refugees
  • Ban the Burqa and Niquab in public places
  • Driver's licence cannot be obtained without showing the full face and having photo ID on driver’s licence
  • Surveillance cameras to be installed in all Mosques and schools. Mosques to be open to the public during all opening hours
  • No more mosques to be built until the inquiry is held
  • Oppose the introduction of Sharia Law
  • Investigate welfare payments paid to Muslims who may be in multiple marriages, having multiple children
  • Ban Halal certification. Halal certified food not to be provided in prisons or the armed services. Companies may comply for export but no monies must be paid
  • Call for a referendum to change Section 116 of the Australian Constitution
  • Muslims will not be allowed to be sworn in to Parliament under the Qur'an
  • Female genital mutilation to carry lengthy jail term

I think most of these points are illegal or unnecessary but I strongly agree with stopping further Muslim Immigration and the intake of Muslim refugees as do at least 49% of the Australian population. The first Muslim woman elected to federal Parliament, Anne Aly, has declared that this poll doesn't reflect the true feelings and reality of mainstream Australia. How would she know? Ms Aly is a self-declared expert on de-radicalising Muslim youth.

Despite what the commentariat might say, fundamentalist Islamist terrorists don't give a flying fuck about Ms Hanson. Their complaints go way back:

"What’s important to understand here is that although some might argue that your foreign policies are the extent of what drives our hatred, this particular reason for hating you is secondary … The fact is, even if you were to stop bombing us, imprisoning us, torturing us, vilifying us, and usurping our lands, we would continue to hate you because our primary reason for hating you will not cease to exist until you embrace Islam."

In a speech at Monash University's Castan Centre's Annual Human Rights Conference in Melbourne 22nd July 2016 Mariam Veiszadeh said:

About a year or two ago when I first started working in this space, I often said that Islamophobia in Australia was at risk of becoming normalised. Ladies and gentlemen, in my humble view, we are there. It now has become largely normalised and is a pervasive cancer that keeps rearing its ugly head in both public and private places, all too frequently.

By "Islamophobia" Ms Veiszadeh means any criticism of or opposition to Islam so at least on this one point - Australian majority opposition to Islam - Ms Hanson and Ms Veiszadeh agree. An example of this is television personality and dancer Sonia Kruger's publicly stated opposition to further Islamic immigration to Australia made after the Nice terrorist attack. This is despite her stating that the Muslims she knew were "peace-loving, beautiful people … good people."