Asides

BACK IN FROWN: Nasty One Nation advertises for members in Herald Sun

Just when you thought One Nation might be dead with the proposed departure of founder Pauline Hanson to England, their Victorian division has splashed out thousands of dollars for an ad in the Herald Sun to encourage new members to join and compete in the coming federal election.

They ask ‘Do you want to live under Sharia law?’ which is probably a similar pitch to Iron Sheikh Hilaly at his mosque in Sydney’s west where al-Qaeda representatives occasionally join the followers via phone hook-up to encourage newbies.

One Nation appears to be slightly less enthusiastic about life under Muslim fundamentalism.

However, the ad makes it clear they are against “illegal” asylum seekers in their boats which is not surprising but curiously they say they are in favour of “genuine refugees.”

As a matter of law, and this is one of the many challenges faced by the Commonwealth government on this issue, the difference between the two isn’t great. A very high percentage of the people making their way to Australia by means of people smuggler are accepted as genuinely being in fear of persecution back at home. What the international conventions that Australia has entered into doesn’t deal with is that there are millions of people quite genuinely in that category.

These are complex questions that One Nation will be doing its best to exploit. But without the magnetic red-head in the colourful frocks, we suspect their ship has sailed.

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