She came. She saw. She complained.
Pauline Hanson’s highly anticipated speech to Canberra’s National Press Club today was a tour de force for a politician who has built a 30-year career on grievance.
Entering the heart of the Canberra bubble, Hanson had little to say that was new. But in what sounded like an extended stump speech, she was feisty, uncompromising and very effective at tossing huge chunks of red meat to her adoring supporters.
The One Nation leader, who polls indicate is building strong support across the country, would have left the event delighted after spending nearly two hours attacking mainstream politics.
Capital Brief could hear the kerfuffle at the NPC long before we saw it. Walking down National Circuit towards the building, it was impossible to miss the 40-strong contingent from the Canberra Socialists chanting: “One, two, three and a bit. Hanson is a racist shit.”