Once defined by dissent and solidarity, Generation X is now fuelling Pauline Hansons resurgence driven less by conviction than by disillusionment, fear and misplaced anger, writesJames May.

SENATORPauline Hansons One Nation party hassurged in the polls, claiming 26% of the vote, while the former Coalition has plummeted to 19%. One Nationsshare of the voteis higher in regional Australia at 35% and Pauline Hanson is now the mostpopular leaderin the country.

One Nation was founded in 1997, and it's had a boost this year as voters on the Right desert the Coalition and veterans like MPBarnaby Joycedefect to its ranks. At the recentMarch for Australiaanti-immigration rallies, support for One Nation was solid on the ground. Pauline Hanson was the star speaker at a rally inBrisbanewhere people waved signs that read Pauline 4 PM.

As a voter fromGeneration X, Im alarmed about the growing number of men in our cohort throwing their support behind One Nation.

We came of age in the 1990s. It was a nihilistic time with bands likeNirvanaandRage Against the Machine. We lived in the heart of the city when it was shabby and cheap, and rented crumbling terrace houses. TheHowardera dragged on for years and we were disillusioned with politics.

By borrowing Trumps rhetoric while ignoring Australian law, One Nation offers fear, fantasy and cruelty in place of workable migration policy.

My friends were staunchly left-wing and supported equal rights for everyone, regardless of race, gender and sexuality. We loathed the Coalition and right-wing politicians like Pauline Hanson.

I stuck to my beliefs over the years, but I cant say the same for all my Generation X peers.

One couple recently announced they were proudly right-wing. They said LGBTQIA+ rights had gone too far and they wanted gay marriage repealed. They had no desire to marry, but said the institution should be reserved for heterosexuals.

Another guy blamed radical feminists when his marriage failed. He said theMe Toomovement drove a wedge between men and women. He made degrading comments about transgender people and said his kids were being home-schooled because he didnt want them exposed to woke ideology.

A queer friend went down theQAnonrabbit hole during the COVID pandemic. He preached about the deep state and corrupt politicians likeBill Clinton,Bernie SandersandBarack Obama. He applauded theinsurrectionat the White House in 2021 and saidDonald Trumpwas a hero who would challenge the status quo.

Trump's administration has wiped outfood assistance and health carefor millions, wound backabortion rightsandkilled protestersin Minneapolis.

In Australia, political power has swung from Labor to the Coalition for years with very little change. The cost of living keeps rising, inequality is more pronounced and its hard for people to find a stable home. Life is getting tougher and frustrated voters want politicians to do something about it.

Pauline Hanson and One Nation are not the answer.

Pauline Hanson's biggest problem is that regional Australia depends on the migration she opposes.

In regional Australia, where I live, theclimate denialinside One Nation would be devastating. Pauline Hanson wants to leave theParis Agreement, and has described climate change as a scam and the greatest hoax of this century.

As we battle another summer,Victorianshave faced catastrophic bushfires, loss of life and the hottest temperatures on record. In Pauline Hansons home state of Queensland,Cyclone Kojiravaged the north and towns like Bowen and Airlie Beach were inundated with floods and rain.

Meanwhile, Pauline has been living it up with billionaireGina Rinehartand partying with Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago. She might pretend to be an Aussie battler, but shes nowhere to be found when people are battling fires and floods on the ground.

Pauline Hanson and One Nation love stoking racism and culture wars.

They vilify migrants who seek a better life in Australia and work hard in our schools, hospitals and nursing homes, and perform other vital roles. One Nation wants to reduce immigration by over570,000from current levels.

Pauline Hanson has denigrated our First Nations communities for decades. She has no empathy or solutions for the challenges they face, including shocking levels of incarceration, rising deaths in custody and deplorable rates of poverty and suicide.

Now shes attacking the LGBTQIA+ community as well. In her latest stunt, Pauline Hanson teamed up withHolly Valance. The right-wing popstar released a song to promote Hansons animated film,A Super Progressive Movie. The song and the film poke fun at left-wing politics and insult LGBTQIA+ people.

A brawl erupted at thelaunch of the filmin Melbourne.

We might be facing high inflation and a cost-of-living crisis in this country, but Pauline Hanson and One Nation will make things worse. Their policies lack substance and detail, and their politics are harmful and divisive. Its the last thing we need when social cohesion is strained.

Pauline Hanson has been compared to Donald Trump in the U.S. andNigel Faragein the UK. The social and political turmoil in those countries is a good reason not to vote for her.

James Mayis a freelance writer and his work has appeared inThe Guardian,The Age,The Sydney Morning HeraldandCanberra Times.

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