And where did the idea of 'One Nation' come from?

[canetoad]

In 1996, Pauline Hanson made her initial run for parliament in the seat of Oxley, Queensland. She first ran for the Liberal (John Howard's conservative....) party but before the election she was disendorsed by the party for comments about immigration and aboriginals. She won the seat.

Her maiden (first) speech to the House created enormous controversy; she advocated a return to the White Australia Policy, which had been legally dismantled and ended in 1973-5.

"If politicians continue to promote separatism in Australia, they should not continue to hold their seats in this parliament. They are not truly representing all Australians, and I call on the people to throw them out. To survive in peace and harmony, united and strong, we must have one people, one nation, one flag."

She became big news after the speech. Some found her a straight-talking, working class champion; in the opinions of others, she was racist, misinformed and undereducated, highlighted by her bamboozled response to the October 1996 60 Minutes question, 'Are you xenophobic?'

Not having a clue what xenophobic meant, Hanson's reply, 'Please explain...' entered Australian political folklore.

In 1997 she formed the One Nation political party which enjoyed a brief period of popularity among disenchanted mums and dads, right-wingers and nationalists. By 1999, any mainstream support that One Nation had was evaporating.

The rest is history; Hanson lost her seat in parliament, the One Nation party fell apart with bitter infighting and feuds. She was jailed for misappropriating electoral funds and then released and cleared. She announced a move to England, the BNP expressing their welcome to her. This apparently didn't happen as she resurfaced in Australian politics a couple of years ago with 'Pauline's United Australia Party' still spouting the same old populist, xenophobic claptrap.

One Nation is not completely defunct. A handful of rag-tag supporters remain in each state and early in 2011 one of them, John Kearney, met Sarah Palin in Virginia, spoke with her about One Nation and 'exchanged political ideas'.

In May, Palin announced her One Nation Bus Tour. A kinder person than I may give her benefit of the doubt and presume that she came up with the title herself. A better explanation is that Palin and Hanson are birds of a feather an Palin's grifting ways extend to the 'intellectual' property of her political precedents.

Birds of a feather.

Ref:
http://www.theage.com.au/national/a-palin-imitation-hanson-inspires-sarahs-one-nation-bus-tour-20110603-1fk9w.html
http://australianpolitics.com/one-nation
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pauline_Hanson

[kctim]

1. Interesting

I just figured it came from 'One Nation Under God' in the pledge.

[MilesColtrane]

2. It's more likely that a paid consultant suggested the name of her aborted tour after...

doing some market research, and Palin readily agreed.

She's really too stupid to have adopted a core political philosophy after consideration. ( other than "giimee money")

[canetoad]

3. I'm not saying Palin

adopted anyone's core policies. Hanson and Palin were already like two peas in a pod although to our detriment, Hanson is a stayer rather than a quitter.

Just saying she lifted the name, hoping that no-one would make the connection. In general, America is fairly uninterested in Aussie politics; I'm sure she thought this would go through to the keeper.

[MilesColtrane]

4. "the keeper"?

[canetoad]

5. Oops. Cricket term

When something goes straight past - it's said to have 'Gone through to the keeper' as in wicketkeeper.

[MilesColtrane]

6. Thanks, I missed that because it wasn't in my wheelhouse*.

*In baseball, a batter's power zone. Usually a pitch waist-high and over the heart of the plate.