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Someone told me…

The leader of One Nation in Queensland, Steve Dickson, has been forced to apologise over comments he made about the Safe Schools program in which he asserted that 10 year old girls were being taught, as part of the curriculum, how to masturbate and how to use strap-on dildos.

His apology was for using the word “dildos” rather than for telling outrageous lies.

He blamed a parent of a year four student for the erroneous information.

Because that’s what One Nation does.

Rather than actually finding out anything about the program from the people who developed the resources, or from the schools, teachers and students that have used them, or from the Department of Education on how they are used, PHON truth comes from “someone told me….”

Remember how, in the lead-up to the WA election, Pauline suggested vaccinations were linked to autism and that parents should have their children go through a non-existent test to evaluate vaccination safety.

After a barrage of outrage from medical bodies and others about this irresponsible and totally false information, Pauline apologised for being wrong….kinda.

‘Yes, I do apologise,’ she said. ‘As far as having tests done, OK, I admit I was wrong with that.’

‘All I’m saying to people that are concerned about it – you go and do your research, go ask questions of your doctor,’ she said.

Because someone told her…..

Malcolm Roberts has been replaced by Fraser Anning, another climate change denier.

On his now deactivated/hidden facebook page, Anning shared social media posts suggesting Barack Obama was secretly a Muslim and praising Russian President Vladimir Putin’s approach to “minorities” and Sharia law.

He also shared a cartoon with caption: “I was standing in a queue behind a very fat woman with a huge ar-e, when her phone starts to bleep. A little boy behind me says, “f––k me, she’s reversing”.

In a comical situation, Fraser Anning was kicked out of, or resigned from, Pauline’s party about an hour after being sworn in despite having been a loyal member for 20 years.

Anning said he was dragged into a meeting and berated like a schoolboy for not agreeing to step aside and for employing Malcolm Roberts’ staff, who Pauline banned from the meeting.

In what is becoming a frequent refrain from ex-One Nation candidates and officials, he blames James Ashby.

“I believe a lot of this is coming from James Ashby, who I think is the wrong person for her – or for anyone for that matter. I think there’s only one person James Ashby is interested in and that’s himself. She’s been manipulated before but I think this is the worst of all her advisers. I guess he feels we’re some sort of threat to his ambitions.”

None of this is new for Pauline.

After the 1998 Queensland state election where 11 One Nation MPs were elected, within about 12 months they had all left the party – one quit, five created the City Country Alliance, four turned independent and the final MP created their own party of which they were the only member.

A vote for One Nation is a vote for a conglomeration of individuals who have personal beefs, very often based on misinformation and unwarranted fear, who focus more on ramping up anger than on thoughtful, evidence-based solutions.

It is a vote for James Ashby who seems to have survived countless scandals and who now makes all the decisions, making significant profit for himself along the way. Pauline seems enthralled by him.

I understand Pauline’s appeal is based on the idea that she is not like other politicians, that she cares about the little people, that she tells the truth.

Politicians make the laws in this country. They cannot be experts in everything they must deal with but they must be capable of seeking, understanding, and accepting expert advice.

“Someone told me” just doesn’t cut it.

17 comments

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  1. GraemeF

    I still don’t understand about the Ashby/Slipper case. Justice Rares declared is was a corruption of the legal system for political gain. On appeal with two against one, Ashby was given leave to appeal the actual decision. He did not take up the offer to appeal so why doesn’t the original finding still stand? His appeal did not turn over the original findings, it was a chance to take it to court again. There are two justices who believe there was a corruption of the legal system for political gain and nothing has happened.

  2. Kaye Lee

    Not only that, the Commonwealth settled the sexual harassment case giving Ashby $50,000

    And whatever happened about the plane, and the insisitence that candidates use Ashby’s printing firm

  3. diannaart

    The antics of the motley PHON crew almost… and I mean almost makes the LNP appear vaguely human.

    A shame it is Jacqui Lambie and not Hanson who is resigning due to the great and relentless Dual Citizen Show. I did not always agree with Jacqui but she is genuine and not about power – she really does want to make a difference, even after having been embroiled in the political lunacy from the Palmer circus to the current free-for-all in Canberra.

  4. Matters Not

    Voted this morning in the State electorate of Sandgate, a bayside suburb(s) north of Brisbane, The Greens received the 1 with the effective vote going to the Labor candidate at 2. Spoke to the Labor candidate Stirling Hinchliffe who is the sitting member. We talked about the PHON candidate who makes up the four along with the LNP. Seems like they have money to spend.

    The PHONy has worked hard. Signs and posters everywhere and he has been out and about for months. Accordingly I think he will get more votes than one would expect, given Sandgate is a traditionally ‘safe’ Labor seat (although Vicky Darling, daughter of Elaine Darling lost in the Newman onslaught.) If Vicky Darling had won, she, rather than Anastacia, would have led the ALP. Now she is but a distant memory.

    The PHON will win seats but their current leader won’t be among them. Roberts won’t win either. An empirical fact.

  5. jimhaz

    I wonder if Ashby is still a LNP plant as he appeared to be with Slipper. Hanson sure has been on the side of everything the LNP has been coming out with of late.

  6. Frank Smith

    dianaart,
    Yes a pity about Jackie Lambie – although I did not agree with all of her views, I respected them because they were clearly genuine. Also a pity about Ricky Muir at the last election because he really “grew into” the Senator job and made a useful contribution unlike the usual bunch of lawyers and staffers who inhabit Parliament.

  7. diannaart

    Frank Smith

    Both Muir and Lambie proved the advantages of voting independents in the senate – not all may be perfect, but some even turn out to provide a bit of balance and even good sense in the serial circus of politics.

  8. Max Gross

    Clowns, crooks and crackpots! As for Ashby, he is clearly being protected by… someone. LNP plant? I’d bet on it! As for Lambie, well, who wouldn’t vote for a pollie who walks into the office and proclaims “I need a root!”

  9. Ricardo29

    I agree with the sentiments expressed about both Lambie and Muir but want to add the brick with ears. He was another who grew into the job in the brief tenure he had. I hope they can all find a place in parliament in future.

  10. Kaye Lee

    Fraser Anning sounds like a right twerp……

    “A lot of our industries can’t afford the power with this renewable energy nonsense.

    “I don’t care how many trillion we spend, we’re not going to lower the sea level by a millimetre.

    “We’ve got to start getting a good coal-fired power station in central Queensland, opening up the mines; everyone’s getting the use of our coal and we’re doing nothing with it.”

  11. Peter F

    But Kaye, we need the 100,000+ jobs

  12. Kaye Lee

    Jobson Groethe, Peter, Jobson Groethe. Don’t you worry about that, you people.

  13. guest

    Talking about bright sparks, I heard Canavan speaking in the Senate today about how he cannot understand why the ALP is backflipping on the Adani mine. The Adani mine, he believes, is going to provide so many jobs!

    I find it impossible to believe that Canavan – or anyone else – really thinks the Adani mine will turn out well.

    Is it something to do with the water up there in the Deep North?

  14. guest

    As for Anning, someone should tell him we have already spent billions and billions of dollars in raising the sea level with our carbon emissions over two centuries, and we will not lower the level very quickly if we keep going at the rate of business as usual.

    He should also know that SA has not been in total darkness over the last year and now has energy prices lower than Vic and NSW.

  15. Zeke

    Ricardo29, It’s “The Brick with Eyes” not “ears”. Thanks Roy and HG.

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