There is no question Pauline Hanson, the controversial politician from Queensland, is attracting support right around the country.
During her visit to Western Australia last week, it was remarkable to watch her become such a popular part of the political landscape; not only did she draw approval from passersby who stopped to wish her well at her various appearances, her media events were packed to the rafters.
She is personable, she strikes a chord with voters who feel abandoned by the major parties, and she speaks a language people understand and appreciate.
She is a likeable larrikin, but she has a serious problem.
It is impossible to make any sense of what she stands for.
She knows little about WA – don’t forget this is a state election – and any policy she ventured an opinion on was vague, inscrutable or just ridiculous.
Ms Hanson seems to oppose the sale of Fremantle Port, but she has not demonstrated an understanding of the details of the state finances and has no proposals for state budget repair or debt reduction.
She said she will ban the burqa.
But this makes no sense in a secular and liberal democracy such as ours in which we respect an individual’s right to religious freedom. What’s more, it will never happen.
And have you ever seen a woman wearing one in WA? Not likely. Such a law would target a handful of women, if any.
While it would be reasonable to question the morality of forcing women to cover themselves to protect their modesty, that’s not Ms Hanson’s game.
The best that can be said is that she is a bundle of tendencies she has no idea how to translate into policy.
The candidates she revealed last week are likewise questionable, except for South West upper house candidate Colin Tincknell, a former mining executive with a history of working to improve the lives of Aboriginal people.
It might be argued he has more of a claim on an upper house seat than many of the major party hacks who currently polish their backsides on its plush red leather.
Still, the party he leads in WA is an empty vessel, with an election just weeks away.
And although support for her party doesn’t look like collapsing anytime soon, it is likely those tempted to vote for her candidates will expect them to live up to their rhetoric.
Better yet, they could deliver some relevant ideas.