Mark Latham’s identity crisis

After several career changes it seems Mark Latham has found an appropriate home in the One Nation Party, writes Jacinta Coelho.

MARK LATHAM WAS RECENTLY appointed NSW Branch leader of One Nation with Pauline “it's okay to be white” Hanson. This move was somewhat surprising, but apparently Latham wasn't happy banging on his drum in the corner as a “journalist” and needs more attention. Or to be taken seriously as a politician after resigning from Labor's opposition leadership 14 years ago. He must make it in politics.

He has put forward that the appeal of the One Nation Party was to NOT being bound by political correctness:

“Neither of us is politically correct. Both of us speak our mind. That is a good thing. If pulling punches and being honest under political correctness is an issue we wouldn't have all the problems of public policy in NSW.”

The failures of NSW aren’t tied to political correctness. It was a series of incompetent political leaders including, but not limited to, ones that accept a $3,000 bottle of Penfolds wine without declaring it, closing down an entire nightlife economy and dubiously adding more motorways to “fix” the transport shambles Sydney has always been in. Oh, yeah, also installing an expensive and unnecessary when-is-it-ever-going-to-be-finished light rail. Together with sticking their heads in the sand by ignoring completely inflated and unsustainable property prices at the expense of younger generations.

What Latham means by being politically incorrect is that he's free to call black people “niggas” at his own will and come to the conclusion that the pay gap is simply a “choice” that women make to work fewer hours. What he means by being politically incorrect is simply being incorrect. Or coming to simple conclusions that suit him and his audience (if there is one) without fact-checking.

His policy ambition is to reduce immigration in Sydney and reduce electricity bills. These are not bad areas to focus on. Energy prices have risen by 75 per cent and there is no reasonable explanation for this, but given that we have a Federal Government with no real energy policy, it’s unlikely that Latham will uphold this promise from the State level. And yes, immigration is a problem when big cities don't have the infrastructure to deal with it. It’s not surprising that he has chosen to focus on reducing immigration, but it’s quite surprising he hasn’t focused on reducing feminists instead, given that he likes the idea of gender equality so much that any boy who vouches for equal opportunity for women automatically gets called “gay”.

On a video for Rebel Media, he spent a substantial amount of time focusing on women (aka “femi-nutters” like Tracy Spicer) and he read an extract from her book which details how she was sexually harassed in Turkey whilst getting a massage. Spicer’s first natural response was to freeze, which is quite a common reaction to being sexually harassed. Latham ignorantly suggests that she “should have called out for help”. It’s Latham’s incorrectness and lazy ignorance that make him a perfect candidate for One Nation.

He believes that this will give NSW a third choice away from the traditional Liberal and Labor parties. It's certainly a choice.

Latham really wants to be seen and heard. This is something he has craved his whole career above all else. He has taken a while to find a party that he truly belongs to and it looks like One Nation is love at first sight. With his party shifting ways (including from Labor to media then Liberal Democrats, now One Nation) you’d be forgiven for thinking he’s having an identity crisis and an attention-seeking one, too. Whether he succeeds or not depends on who is listening to him. One thing is for sure — little Latham must be heard.

One Nation’s newly installed NSW leader @RealMarkLatham has revealed his eight-point plan for immigration. https://t.co/QfsXZVeyED
— Australia Channel (@AustChannel) November 15, 2018