Hanson ahead of her time? ('Far-right, racist' Australian politician of the 1990s reassessed)

Herald Sun ^ | 19th September 2004 | Andrew Bolt

[naturalman1975]

FUNNY how Pauline Hanson doesn't seem scary any more. Maybe the lady is owed an apology.

When the One Nation founder first entered politics, she was spat on, vilified, threatened, jostled, screamed at, ridiculed and eventually jailed, unjustly.

But, this week, in announcing she'd stand yet again, Hanson boasted: "Many of the things I was on about (in the 1990s) John Howard has done."

"She's right there, and Australia is a harsher place for it," snapped Daily Telegraph commentator Mark Day, now a moralist after making his fortune with the show-us-yer-t.ts Truth.

The usual Howard-haters agreed, which may explain their boredom with Hanson now. But is it really true?

In fact, reread her maiden speech to Parliament that so shocked the elite in 1996, and you'll see she's had very mixed luck in getting Howard to do what she wanted.

Indeed, the leader who more closely copied some of her most controversial ideas is Labor's own Bob Carr, the New South Wales Premier.

And the one who now repeats her worst economic advice is the Greens' Bob Brown. So it seems Hanson had some good advice for all sides of politics, even if we still argue over which bit was bad.

When Hanson first spoke in Parliament, she denounced the tribalism that was -- and is -- dividing us. Her speech was too stridently resentful, but at heart anti-racist, despite Hanson falsely claiming we were "in danger of being swamped by Asians . . . (who) do not assimilate". That's one line she never repeats.

But the true heart of her speech came when she praised former Governor-General Sir Paul Hasluck for his "vision . . . of a single society in which racial emphases were rejected and social issues addressed".

But what, specifically, did Hanson ask for, and did she get it? Let's check what she said in 1996.

Hanson wants: "Reconciliation is everyone recognising and treating each other as equals . . . That is why I am calling for ATSIC [the Aboriginal Parliament] to be abolished. It is a failed, hypocritical and discriminatory origination."

Hanson gets: Labor leader Mark Latham this year vowed to abolish ATSIC, amid claims it had failed and was corrupt. Howard promptly did just that.

Latham, sadly, plans to replace ATSIC with another black parliament. Howard won't -- and is even ending some blacks-only services in the cities.

While the Liberals -- unlike Labor -- refuse to apologise to Aborigines as a group, even Howard unfortunately now starts speeches by acknowledging previous Aboriginal ownership of the land.

Hanson wants: "The majority of Aborigines do not want handouts because they realise that welfare is killing them."

Hanson gets: Leading Aboriginal activist Noel Pearson now agrees, saying "welfare is a resource that is laced with poison, and the poison present is the money-for-nothing principle." Or as Aboriginal Affairs Minister Amanda Vanstone puts it: "Passive welfare is killing them softly". But little has yet been done to end "sit-down money".

Hanson wants: "The Family Law Act . . . should be repealed . . . Custodial parents can often profit handsomely . . ."

Hanson gets: The Act stays, although the Government is making divorce hearings cheaper. Howard lost when he tried to give fathers more custody rights.

Hanson wants: "The Government wants to sell Telstra . . . (but) anyone with business sense knows you do not sell off your assets."

Hanson gets: Howard still wants to sell the rest of Telstra, but Labor and the Greens agree with Hanson and block him.

Hanson wants: "I should have the right to have a say who comes into my country."

Hanson gets: Howard in 2001 agreed: "We will decide who comes to this country, and the circumstances in which they come." He cracked down on asylum seekers, generally with Labor's support.

Hanson wants: "Immigration must be halted in the short term."

Hanson gets: In fact, Howard lifted immigration, from 85,800 people then to 105,000 today, plus another 11,700 refugees. But Greens agree that immigration hurts our environment.

Hanson wants: "The Government should cease all foreign aid."

Hanson gets: Foreign aid has not only continued, but Howard has helped two million refugees to go home by joining the liberation of East Timor, Afghanistan and Iraq.

Hanson wants: "Australia should renew its membership and funding of the UN."

Hanson gets: Howard backed a review of the United Nations, but still funds it, despite claims it is corrupt. Australia now heads the UN Human Rights Commission.

Hanson wants: "I [want] multiculturalism abolished."

Hanson gets: Timid Howard kept multiculturalism, although said it had to be Australian multiculturalism. But Labor Premier Bob Carr went further -- he scrapped his title of Minister for Ethnic Affairs and Multiculturalism, and now calls himself Minister for Citizenship instead. He also renamed the Ethnic Affairs Commission the Community Relations Commission. Ethnic is no longer chic.

Hanson wants: "I call for the introduction of national service."

Hanson gets: Don't call us, we'll call you.

Hanson wants: "The Government must do all it can to help reduce interest rates for business."

Hanson gets: Both Howard and Latham insist they will keep rates lower than the other guy.

Hanson wants: "Reduced tariffs on foreign goods that compete with local products seem only to cost Australians their jobs."

Hanson gets: Howard has cut tariffs. But the Greens share Hanson's love of tariffs, and Latham is promising to slow tariff cuts on clothes and cars, meaning you'll pay more.

Hanson wants: "The Government must (support) the building of the Alice Springs to Darwin railway line, new roads and ports, water conservation, reforestation and other sensible and practical environmental projects."

Hanson gets: Howard has built that railway and is now vying with Labor to offer the most cash to "save" the Murray. The Greens demand an end to old-growth logging in Tasmania, while Labor state governments spend billions on water conservation and green power.

That's the list. Odd that so much of it has been picked up -- and not just by Howard, but by the Greens and Labor as well.

It seems there was a little there for everyone, after all, as well as rubbish no one wanted. So did Hanson really deserve so much hate and fear?

[Fintan]

 

Hanson???????????

 

[BenLurkin]

Interesting.

[HennepinPrisoner]

Jesus Christ, Pauline Hanson, Tony Blair, Pat Buchanan, and of course George W. Bush are the five people that I would dream of having at a dinner party.