Pacey politics

Is a week still a long time in politics?

Six days ago, David Farley became One Nation’s first elected MP by winning the Farrer byelection. On the other side of the world, Nigel Farage’s Reform UK party surged in English council elections.

There’s been plenty of analysis on these so-called populist uprisings, much of which has suggested that the disconnect between voters and inward-looking major parties is driving interest in anti-establishment alternatives.

The response has, at least in part, validated this view. In Australia, Labor indulged in some good old fashioned class warfare, while Angus Taylor appeared to have generated parts of his budget reply speech from PaulineGPT.

In the UK, the Labour party has responded to the threat of populist sentiment by moving incredibly slowly towards deposing the Prime Minister. Alternatives so far include a man who is not an MP, a woman who was cleared over dodgy taxes literally hours ago, and a Luke Littler lookalike. 

There’s no doubt voters in countries around the world are frustrated with the traditional major parties, and that those parties have work to do to earn back trust.

But the likes of Pauline Hanson and Nigel Farage are also benefiting from another trend. 

We live in a world of convenience and instant gratification, while the reality of achieving change at a statewide level is fundamentally complex and incremental. It may well be that voters simply no longer have the patience or attention spans for leaders anchored in the reality of governing. A week is now too long, even in politics. 

Rather than read recent results as a sign of rising racism or a rejection of societal norms, perhaps we can simply see it as another illustration of the cult of easy answers and big personalities that defines our culture.