“There should have been a strong response to the video the day after it appeared, a joint response from Albo and Angus (and Matt) showing a united disgust at the “traitor” allegation, emphasising that what Pauline was endorsing was utterly un-Australian,” writes HUGH SELBY.

There’s an old saying that the chickens have come home to roost. The meaning, not at all clear from the words, is that wrongdoings, especially lies and curses, eventually have consequences.

It’s a concept that is illustrated in the political cartoon video  produced for the Pauline and Barnaby travelling circus some weeks ago.

I urge you, no I beg you, to watch it now https://www.instagram.com/reel/DbJu5sOhavT/ 

Watching it once does not do it justice. It needs to be watched three, five or more times.

Why? Because it illustrates just how professional, dangerous and captivating is the propaganda being peddled by these people.

Anyone who still believes that One Nation is peripheral to our political future is blind to their steady, successful assault upon once stable, now fractured political power bases.

They have taken the all too obvious defects in our major party politicians, entertainingly displayed those to the ever-increasing cadre of disillusioned voters, and left them to join the dots that induces the thought, “Give One Nation a go. They can’t be worse than what we’ve got now”.

Remember the satirical and creative energy that produced South Park. Take it, copy it, then add spices ground from malevolence, amorality and consuming selfishness. 

Producing an animation as good as this takes a well-funded team of people with talent. Each character is unambiguous. The scripting, sick and dishonest, is funny, clever, pointed and memorable. 

There are hilarious sight gags, such as portraying Minister Bowen as a tiny peanut on the treasurer’s shoulder, and the closing “all in” massacre among the Liberal Opposition heavies as a “who dunnit?” because we don’t know who is the last one standing. 

The never-ending hypocrisy, spin, and unrestrained self-interest of the Albo Government opens the batting. It’s cruel to suggest that Albo’s marriage was one of convenience to him as a necessary “political distraction”. That it can be suggested shows how little faith we have in our leaders: nothing about them is praiseworthy.

Which explains, in part, why we look for our heroes in sport, disasters, and the battlefield. People such as the late Prof Richard Scolyer are the all too rare exceptions.

That these heroes too often have feet of clay doesn’t matter. This point is exquisitely expressed by Pauline and her coterie calling Liberal politician, and former army officer, Andrew Hastie, a traitor for doing his duty and giving evidence against Roberts-Smith, wrongly awarded medals of valour, now known – on the balance of probabilities – to have been a cowardly killer.

We’ll come back to this slur on Hastie.

The never ending machinations within the Liberals are captured by some clever images of “the knives are out, hidden, and out again”.

The collection of past failed Liberal leaders who deal with Angus in the otherworldly clouds as he hovers between life and death is brilliant. 

That he is a dead politician walking is made all too clear.

But the cartoon drama gets better (or much worse, depending on your point of view). Pauline and Barnaby call upon Bob Menzies to explain why today’s Liberal Nationals must throw in their lot with One Nation to achieve a unified conservative voice.

The message, one that is near impossible to deny these days, is that the once proud Liberal Party is now a spent force, incapable of achieving government, incapable of anything other than self-destruction.

The ghost of Bob joins One Nation, while the surviving rabble of deluded Liberals engage in an internal carnage.

Those of us who have no reason to look for Pauline’s videos on One Nation’s website, on You Tube, or Instagram can be excused for not knowing about the late July attack on the major parties in general, and Andrew Hastie in particular.

We can assume that the politicians knew all about it within minutes and that it has been much discussed among them these past six weeks.

Until this week when Hastie went public with his indignation at being singled out as a traitor.

And exposed the major parties’ fatal flaws.

There should have been a strong response to the video the day after it appeared, a joint response from Albo and Angus (and Matt) showing a united disgust at the “traitor” allegation, emphasising that what Pauline was endorsing was utterly un-Australian.

Didn’t happen.

That Andrew Hastie was left to defend himself emphasises the moral vacuum of the major parties.

The cartoon says nothing about what One Nation stands for, or will do when it has the numbers to direct policy.

And that’s the nightmare we face. Hitler and Mussolini made promises about empire building, so did Trump. They had to promise something.

The One Nation circus doesn’t need to. From north to south, from east to west, in every place where hope has withered and distrust has grown, they have ever more supporters: compelled voters who are willing to bet that anything is better than what’s on offer from the major parties.

Watch that cartoon again and be afraid. The circus that is coming to your town is a clutch of demons playing artfully with alluring smoke and distorting mirrors.

Hugh Selby is a CityNews columnist with a focus on the law.

News all day, every day at CityNewsQBN.com.au.