On the One Nation Victory

It is nice to get a few wins on the board:

This morning I wrote about the massive victory of Nigel Farage and Reform UK in the local council elections overseas. Tonight I write about the One Nation victory in the Farrer byelection. So two out of two today – that is what I call a pretty good day. The Farage win which I wrote up just hours earlier can be seen here: https://billmuehlenberg.com/2026/05/09/the-reform-uk-tsunami/

All the action tonight has been over this NSW election, and how Pauline Hanson’s party, with David Farley, have taken on the Libs, the Nats, a Teal, and eight other candidates. Labor did not run a candidate. This was Sussan Ley’s old seat, held for 25 years. Before that the National’s Tim Fischer held the seat from 1994 to 2001.

The 75-year hold on Farrer by the Federal Coalition only came to an eventual end when Ley resigned after losing the Liberal Party leadership in February to Angus Taylor by a margin of 34 votes to 17.

But the bottom line is now this: One Nation has handily won the seat. They have had a swing of 35 per cent to them. Sky News called it for One Nation with just 25 per cent of the primary vote counted! It was a huge win indeed. Some quick bullet points can also be mentioned:

-One Nation is now a real political party to be reckoned with. This is not a one off.

-The other parties all have to take notice. As mentioned, Labor did not even bother to run a candidate.

-The Nats with Brad Robertson did well, getting a swing of 10 per cent to the Nationals.

-The Liberal Party candidate Raissa Butkowski suffered in all this, with a 31 per cent swing against the Libs. They only got 10 per cent of the vote!

-Michelle Milthorpe, the pretend independent candidate, backed with megabucks from the leftist Climate 200, had a 7 per cent swing, but that was just not enough.

-This was a big blow to the political establishment. Things are certainly changing. The old way of doing politics is now dead. The two major parties now only get some 50 per cent of the total vote, down from 90 per cent a few decades ago. People are ‘mad as hell and they are not going to take it anymore’ to quote a famous line from the film Network.

-Ordinary Australians are concerned about the economy, reckless climate alarmism and Net Zero, basic cost of living blowouts, rate rises, rising crime rates, the clueless uni-party, out of touch politicians, mass migration, and so on. More recent things like the return of the ISIS brides and the shabby treatment of Ben Roberts-Smith have also incensed so many Australians. So this certainly was a massive protest vote to the major parties, and a certain sign of things to come.

Spiritual reflections

By now I should sound like a bit of a broken record to my readers when it comes to elections and their results. I have been saying for years now – decades even – that as a Christian I understand how important politics is, but also that politics is not everything.

Only Jesus saves – not any politician. No political leader or political party can claim any messianic pretensions. All are fallen, finite and fallible. Yes, some are better than others, and seeking to get the least bad party or candidate into office is not unimportant.

So I like the idea of a gamechanger coming along and rattling the two-party cage, bringing real problems to what has become in so many ways a uni-party – that is a good thing indeed. Pauline has her issues, but as I said in my earlier piece, she and Trump and Farage are all doing their bit to drain the swamp. That seems worth supporting.

But even if we get some welcome election outcomes here and there, the Christian knows that what really ails us is much more than just political in nature. Our real problems are spiritual in nature. So while we recognise the need to engage in political, social and cultural arenas, we must ultimately see the spiritual realm as the main game.

What Christian Concern CEO Andrea Williams just said about the UK elections is applicable here. She said this in part:

A nation’s problems cannot ultimately be solved through populism, nationalism or political anger alone. Britain’s crisis is deeper than economics or party politics. It is spiritual. We are living with the consequences of decades of moral rebellion against God. We have rejected the Christian framework that once shaped our laws, institutions and public life, while assuming we could somehow keep the benefits of Christian civilisation without Christianity itself.

 

We cannot.

 

When a society abandons biblical truth, confusion inevitably follows. Marriage weakens. Family life fractures. Loneliness grows. Trust declines. Public discourse becomes more hostile and tribal. Politics becomes increasingly unstable because there is no longer any shared moral foundation holding the nation together.

 

That is where Britain now finds itself.

 

The answer is not merely a new political party. It is national repentance.

She continued:

Christians should therefore see these election results neither with despair nor triumphalism, but with sober realism and renewed determination. There is clearly an openness in the country to conversations that would have been impossible just a few years ago. Increasing numbers of people recognise that the cultural revolution they were promised has not delivered freedom, happiness or social harmony.

 

That creates an opportunity for the Church.

 

This is the moment for Christians to speak courageously, compassionately and truthfully into public life. Not with bitterness or fear, but with confidence in the goodness of God’s design for humanity. Britain does not need more ideological confusion. It needs Jesus and His Truth. It needs strong families. It needs freedom of speech. It needs moral clarity. Above all, it needs the gospel of Jesus Christ.

 

Political shocks like these local elections are reminders that public opinion can change rapidly. The old political certainties are collapsing. Voters are searching for something different because they instinctively know that the current direction of travel is unsustainable.

 

It is time again for the Church to arise and point the nation to the Hope of Jesus Christ. https://christianconcern.com/comment/britain-is-crying-out-for-change-and-the-church-must-answer/

Yes I am with her on this.

But I end where I began: two wins in a day is nice to have now and then. And if I can throw in one more likely win: it seems that my fav footy team, Geelong, will beat Collingwood tonight. If so, three out of three – not a bad day at all!

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