Democracy Sausage: Hostile complexity
RedBridge's Alex Fein joins Democracy Sausage to talk about the confusion at the heart of One Nation's immigration pitch, the voters who feel failed by the political class, and why the simplest story is winning.
Why has David Farley’s and Pauline Hanson’s immigration number not matched up — and does it even matter to One Nation’s supporters? What do focus groups really say when people explain why they’re giving up on the major parties? If many disaffected voters want a left-wing agenda of “taking back what we own,” why is it the populist right keeps cutting through?
Alex Fein is the Research and Intelligence Principal at RedBridge Group, where she brings together quantitative and qualitative research — including extensive focus group work with everyday voters — to understand what’s really driving political behaviour in Australia.
Dr Marija Taflaga is the Director of the ANU Centre for the Study of Australian Politics and a Lecturer at the ANU School of Politics and International Relations.
Mark Kenny is the Director of the Australian Studies Institute. He came to the Australian National University after a high-profile journalistic career culminating in 6 years as chief political correspondent and national affairs editor of The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age, and The Canberra Times.
Democracy Sausage with Mark Kenny is available on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Pocket Casts, Google Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. We’d love to hear your feedback on this series, so send in your questions, comments or suggestions for future episodes to democracysausage@anu.edu.au.
This podcast is produced by the Australian National University on the lands of the Ngunnawal, Ngambri and the Ngarigu peoples.
The Australian Political Book of the Year Award is launching a new University Essay Prize! Full details, including eligibility and how to submit, are at available their website: https://auspolbookaward.com.au/uni-prize/.
Top image: Bianca de Marchi/AAP
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