The White Queen: One Nation and the Politics of Race - Quarterly Essay 65 | Political Analysis & Race Relations in Modern Society | Perfect for Academics, Researchers & Political Enthusiasts

Although a David Marr essay is always a pleasure to read, “The White Queen” fails to fulfil as much as others. Marr brings little that is new to the table. He does, however, explain the Hanson phenomenon to those readers who do not have an intimate grasp of Australian politics.First and foremost, despite comparisons by many, Pauline Hanson is no Donald Trump. She will never be elected Prime Minister of Australia. She will never be able to effectively take over the existing conservative political parties. She also has none of Trump’s strange appeal that he has to some of the American electorate.Yet, there are some Trump similarities. Her supporters have typically left school early. They’re not poor either. They have often “made a go’’ of things. They also hanker for a dim and distant earlier time. Just as Trump supporters want to “make America great again”, Hanson’s supporters want to go back to a time when there seemed to be greater certainty. They are also overwhelmingly white and Australian born.“They want to go back to a country that had factories and tariffs and a sure place for them – a country that was white. And they feel the loss of this Australia fiercely.”Marr outlines the features of the Hanson philosophy very eloquently. This is perhaps to be expected as Marr is a fine journalist. However, there is little additional analysis to be found beyond what is largely known. Suffice to say that Pauline Hanson is a crank with a small but loyal following. She will never amount to much more than she presently represents. One can only hope that her demise will be sooner rather than later.