Vale Francis, and Beware the Circus: Dutton and Hanson’s Unholy Alliance
The death of Pope Francis, the most progressive Pope since John XXIII, was no surprise. His health was in bits but he continued to work, against medical advice, rallying, flagging, rallying again. It was a stroke took him in the end, VALE Francis, or “Rest in Peace” to use the Catholic term.
As this historic moment filled headlines, you might’ve missed another story. The story you may have missed is the teaming up of two of the most un-Francis-like people in Australia. Peter Dutton and Pauline Hanson. Dutton and Hanson have made a preference deal that will have LNP voters boosting One Nation's chances at the election, and Hanson's "how-to-vote cards" have been reprinted, telling voters to put the Coalition second. This isn't just a tactical preference deal—it’s a moral collapse.
To understand how fucking ghastly this alliance is, look no further than its leaders. Pauline Hanson is a convicted racist who built a political career stirring up white grievance against anyone darker than a Polar Bear’s underpants. She warned that Australia was being “swamped by Asians,” then later Muslims. In 2022, her party—a circus of conspiracy theorists, bigots, and political leftovers—was named by the think-tank, Global Project Against Hate and Extremism as one of 20 active hate groups in Australia.
Peter Dutton, for his part, has a long record of vilifying African, Arab, and Muslim communities. He once said Lebanese immigration was a mistake. His vision of national security involves locking out the vulnerable while locking in the fearful.
The contrast with Francis is stark. He preached compassion, advocated for the poor, and welcomed the outsider. He washed the feet of prisoners and refugees. He spoke of a Church that belongs to everyone, especially those cast aside by power. While Dutton and Hanson push policies that make difference an enemy. Francis called for unity in dignity. Empathy versus exclusion.
Pope Francis washing the feet of women prisoners
Francis had many critics inside and outside the Catholic church. Traditionalists, conservatives, assholes that would have us back in the days where being gay was a crime. Where being an unmarried mother brought community shame. The kind of people inside the church that covered up child abuse, and outside the church that ignored it. People like our former prime minister, Tony Abbott, who stood by convicted child-rapist George Pell till the very end and compared his conviction to the crucifixion.
So, what are Dutton and Hanson offering? Tax-deductible business lunches for executives, bans on Muslim immigration and burqas, withdraw from international agreements like the Paris Climate Accord, and reduce foreign aid significantly in favor of domestic spending. Hanson is pushing for relaxing gun laws. A clear sign she's been trying to get political donations from America's National Rifle Association (AGAIN)
As ordinary Australians struggle to keep the lights on and pay rent, these two are importing America’s culture war—without even the decency to pretend it’s about helping people.
This isn’t just about political preferences. It’s about the mainstreaming of hate. It’s about the normalisation of policies that punish the poor, the migrant, the different. It’s about dragging Australia into a paranoid, Trumpian shadow.
If we let this slide, we’re not just watching the decline. We’re helping stage the show.