Pantsdown: political protest through satire
By James Smith
"On October 3, Pauline Hanson will be out of office. After that I'm more than happy to fade into obscurity, returning in 10 years time to tour the RSL club circuit, doing my Hits of the '90s show." Pauline Pantsdown is running as a Senate candidate in NSW at the October 3 federal election.
Pantsdown describes herself as political protest through satire: "My entertainment value draws people in, encouraging them to listen to the political message that's behind my performance.
"Pauline Hanson is an artificial figure too. She fronts an evil that has always existed in Australian society but until now was not easily digestible.
"By dressing like her, using her words and being badly made-up, I'm exposing her as an artificial character, and letting people see the real evil behind her."
The Pauline Pantsdown character is based on the comments made by Hanson. "She is racist. With all of David Oldfield's spin doctoring, there is a careful false history going around that she has never said anything racist.
"This is despite comments such as, 'Asians form ghettos and do not assimilate' and 'I don't want to go to the Gold Coast because there are too many Asians there'."
On September 24, Pantsdown and Hanson met face to face at the Mortdale Bowling club in Sydney. "She asked me to provide an example of a racist comment she had made. I proceeded to read over a page of them to her. She quickly scurried past without a word and the best that Oldfield could do was comment on my make-up."
Pantsdown added that One Nation's immigration policy was particularly racist. "It claims to be non-discriminitory, so long as immigration doesn't change the cultural balance of Australia.
"This means Asian immigration can't rise any higher than it already is. Essentially, this would mean about 5% Asian immigration and 85% Caucasian immigration. One Nation's ambiguity on immigration could also mean maintaining a cultural make-up that existed back in 1950s."
Pantsdown said of the high school walkouts organised by Resistance: "I think it's wonderful that young people are in the streets protesting. My question is why isn't everyone else doing it?
"They are the generation that cannot imagine anything other than a multicultural society. They know what this world is about. They don't have a yearning for an artificial white Australia that never really existed. The media responded by saying these young people were manipulated. I find that quite extraordinary."
Pantsdown explained that Howard's strategy over the past 18 months was to ignore her "and look at the results of the Queensland elections. It's a stupid strategy."
The response to Pauline Pantsdown's latest single, "I Don't Like It", has been extraordinary. It has made it into the national top 20. One Nation have tried everything to have it banned.
Despite rumours, a lawsuit was never filed against Pantsdown's first single, "I'm a Backdoor Man". "They took the song as literal and said I was calling her a homosexual. I'm actually calling her a racist and they know they can't defend the idea that she is a racist in a court of law."
One Nation won a temporary court injunction to keep it off air until it could file a suit, but that never happened. An appeal takes place in the Brisbane Supreme Court on September 28 which could allow "I'm a Backdoor Man" to be released again.
The media's initial response to "I Don't Like It" was nervous. While Triple J played the song immediately, commercial radio felt it was too risky. ABC-TV's Recovery won't play it because "it's too early in the morning for young minds to be exposed to a particular brand of politics".
Channel 10s Video Hits refused to play it on the grounds it was shot on video, not film, but was obliged to once it reached the national top 20. The commercial stations are now playing it too.
Pantsdown explained that a vote for her would not be wasted. "I'm urging all my voters to direct their second preferences to anti-Hanson candidates. It's vital we keep David Oldfield out of the Senate."