Has the tide finally turned on One Nation's 'crude and cruel' political cartoons? - podcast
News Source
β’Tue, 03 Nov 2026 14:00:46 GMT
π° What Happened
One Nation's cartoon series Please Explain is back in the news. The Guardian's Full Story podcast asks whether the show has finally gone too far.
The cartoons began in 2021 and were seen as surprisingly well made, even by critics of the party. Since then the party has grown. Polls now put One Nation second in popularity, behind Labor and ahead of the Coalition.
Recent episodes have mocked politicians in crude ways. One showed Penny Wong being murdered, and another used the children's character Bluey. Pauline Hanson says the videos are not going anywhere.
π The Backstory
Pauline Hanson founded One Nation in 1997. For most of its history it sat on the fringe of Australian politics. That changed as the party built a large online following.
Please Explain has run for four seasons and a movie. The podcast talks to marketing expert Toby Ralph about how the cartoons work as political messages, and whether the tone can be pulled back.
π― Why It Matters
Political videos reach millions of people, including young voters. Crude jokes about violence can shape how people talk about real politicians.
One Nation's cartoon series Please Explain is back in the news. The Guardian's Full Story podcast asks whether the show has finally gone too far.
The cartoons began in 2021 and were seen as surprisingly well made, even by critics of the party. Since then the party has grown. Polls now put One Nation second in popularity, behind Labor and ahead of the Coalition.
Recent episodes have mocked politicians in crude ways. One showed Penny Wong being murdered, and another used the children's character Bluey. Pauline Hanson says the videos are not going anywhere.
Pauline Hanson founded One Nation in 1997. For most of its history it sat on the fringe of Australian politics. That changed as the party built a large online following.
Please Explain has run for four seasons and a movie. The podcast talks to marketing expert Toby Ralph about how the cartoons work as political messages, and whether the tone can be pulled back.
Political videos reach millions of people, including young voters. Crude jokes about violence can shape how people talk about real politicians.