Nagle advises the party’s vote has averaged 8.1% in seats it
contested, and it is on track to win two or three upper house seats.
Despite the apparent success story, Nagle’s main concern seems to be to
keep the One Nation candidates away from the media.
“Transitioning to post-election may be difficult for a number of you. A number of you will fall sick this coming week, many of you may have sudden negative thoughts about certain aspects of your life and a feeling of ‘lostness’ in the wake of all of these events.”
The post campaign pep talk is peppered with useful tips: maintain normal nutrition, keep your friends, family and support groups close.
But most of all: log off.
“It will be best for you to stay off your social media and definitely
to log out of One Nation emails for at least the next week as any
comments (inflammatory or otherwise) will have a much more profound
effect on you in this time,” Nagle writes.
“Remember, it is over. Don’t feel the need to overanalyse every aspect of your campaign forever. Also ensure you do not feel bitter at the voters for not choosing you or the party as their representation.”
The email is part of an extensive cache of documents in Guardian Australia’s possession illustrating the disagreements that plagued the One Nation campaign.
Below the surface of the email lies the candidates’ common understanding that it has been a bumpy ride for all them, and completely disenchanting for others.
One Nation suffered a suite of disendorsements and resignations during the campaign:
At the centre of the unrest, is the preference deal and the WA candidate agreement.
In addition to promising only to reimburse candidates the lesser of 75% of their expenses or public funding – guaranteeing they will be out of pocket – the agreement gives the party an extraordinary amount of control over its candidates.
The agreement included highly contentious clauses including a $250,000 “administration fee” for candidates elected with One Nation who resigned from the party.
In his note of 4 February about the candidates agreement, Sorensen said he was “extremely disappointed, and very concerned” by the document which was “lacking in professionalism”.
“I find it extremely offensive then, that the party thinks it is going to impress my returns from the WA [electoral commission] to the tune of 25%,” he wrote.
“You’re getting 100% of my commitment as it is, plus a free campaign team, as well as my substantial financial contribution – from myself.”
Sorensen said he could not negotiate on the $250,000 fee. “The proposed fee ... is both unrepresentative of the cost to the party of my election and unduly punitive to myself.”
The emails seen by Guardian Australia show the clause was dropped after candidate concern.
On 21 February, Hanson personally wrote to Sorensen to convey her decision to disendorse him, citing “numerous complaints” about his behaviour, “belligerence on most directives from the party” and “your apparent willingness to go straight to the media to discredit the party without even attaining the right information on the matter from the party”.
Communication and a tightly controlled message is an important part of any campaign.
In an email on 5 February, the One Nation candidate for east metro, Charles Smith, scolds his fellow candidates for speaking to the media. “If you are not happy – leave – it’s very simple.”
Smith warns his fellow candidates only to post about One Nation signature issues including crime, local jobs, the economy, drugs, domestic violence, education and health.
“PHON are trying to present as an alternative mainstream conservative party. If this is not you, again, it’s very simple – leave. Please do not post on climate change or any other emotive personal issues.”
Smith advised candidates to “look and act like a professional, learn the policy details” and if approached by media, to direct them to WA leader Colin Tincknell. “It’s very simple. This is how political parties are run and we are running very short on time.”
But breakouts continued throughout the campaign.
Former WA state president and state secretary, Ron McLean and Marye Louise Daniels spoke out two days before the election, accusing the party’s federal leader, Pauline Hanson, of sacking McLean as a candidate because she felt he was “too old” to run for parliament. Hanson has denied the decision was discriminatory.
The pair was angry long before they spoke to the media. They had sent an email on 11 February to Nagle, Hanson and Hanson’s chief of staff, James Ashby, complaining that Nagle had sent a text message warning candidates not to contact them.
“Pauline Hanson’s One Nation is based on the right to free speech,” McLean and Louise Daniels wrote. “We do not believe that anyone has the right to say to the endorsed candidates that they are not allowed to speak to certain people within the party or even those who are not members of the party.
“We will be so very disappointed if any one of you should accept the text message from Aidan in Brisbane, that you are restricted to whom you can and cannot speak to.”
The pair suggests they will not be offended if they are ignored, but the candidates who are “True Blue Aussies” should protect their free speech by objecting to the order.
But despite the pair’s pleas for freedom of speech, it seems from directives not to speak to the media and disendorsements of dissenters that Smith’s view was the one prevailing in One Nation: love it or leave it.
Nagle has some reassuring words for the candidates who saw out the end of the campaign: “Go back and spend time with your family and friends that may be feeling neglected with the effort you put into this campaign.
“Constructively reflect on your time when you are ready but recognise that what’s done has been done, and no overthinking will change that.”
“Transitioning to post-election may be difficult for a number of you. A number of you will fall sick this coming week, many of you may have sudden negative thoughts about certain aspects of your life and a feeling of ‘lostness’ in the wake of all of these events.”
The post campaign pep talk is peppered with useful tips: maintain normal nutrition, keep your friends, family and support groups close.
But most of all: log off.
“Remember, it is over. Don’t feel the need to overanalyse every aspect of your campaign forever. Also ensure you do not feel bitter at the voters for not choosing you or the party as their representation.”
The email is part of an extensive cache of documents in Guardian Australia’s possession illustrating the disagreements that plagued the One Nation campaign.
Below the surface of the email lies the candidates’ common understanding that it has been a bumpy ride for all them, and completely disenchanting for others.
One Nation suffered a suite of disendorsements and resignations during the campaign:
- Sandy Baraiolo was disendorsed for refusing to hand over access to her Facebook account after criticism of One Nation’s preference deal with the Liberals
- Margaret Dodd quit on the eve of the election, labelling the party a dictatorship
- Dane Sorensen was dumped as another critic of the preference deal
- Stephen Piper was disendorsed over a disciplinary issue; and
- Ray Gould quit complaining the party had been dishonest about its intention to do a deal with the Liberals
At the centre of the unrest, is the preference deal and the WA candidate agreement.
In addition to promising only to reimburse candidates the lesser of 75% of their expenses or public funding – guaranteeing they will be out of pocket – the agreement gives the party an extraordinary amount of control over its candidates.
The agreement included highly contentious clauses including a $250,000 “administration fee” for candidates elected with One Nation who resigned from the party.
In his note of 4 February about the candidates agreement, Sorensen said he was “extremely disappointed, and very concerned” by the document which was “lacking in professionalism”.
“I find it extremely offensive then, that the party thinks it is going to impress my returns from the WA [electoral commission] to the tune of 25%,” he wrote.
“You’re getting 100% of my commitment as it is, plus a free campaign team, as well as my substantial financial contribution – from myself.”
Sorensen said he could not negotiate on the $250,000 fee. “The proposed fee ... is both unrepresentative of the cost to the party of my election and unduly punitive to myself.”
The emails seen by Guardian Australia show the clause was dropped after candidate concern.
On 21 February, Hanson personally wrote to Sorensen to convey her decision to disendorse him, citing “numerous complaints” about his behaviour, “belligerence on most directives from the party” and “your apparent willingness to go straight to the media to discredit the party without even attaining the right information on the matter from the party”.
Communication and a tightly controlled message is an important part of any campaign.
In an email on 5 February, the One Nation candidate for east metro, Charles Smith, scolds his fellow candidates for speaking to the media. “If you are not happy – leave – it’s very simple.”
Smith warns his fellow candidates only to post about One Nation signature issues including crime, local jobs, the economy, drugs, domestic violence, education and health.
“PHON are trying to present as an alternative mainstream conservative party. If this is not you, again, it’s very simple – leave. Please do not post on climate change or any other emotive personal issues.”
Smith advised candidates to “look and act like a professional, learn the policy details” and if approached by media, to direct them to WA leader Colin Tincknell. “It’s very simple. This is how political parties are run and we are running very short on time.”
But breakouts continued throughout the campaign.
Former WA state president and state secretary, Ron McLean and Marye Louise Daniels spoke out two days before the election, accusing the party’s federal leader, Pauline Hanson, of sacking McLean as a candidate because she felt he was “too old” to run for parliament. Hanson has denied the decision was discriminatory.
The pair was angry long before they spoke to the media. They had sent an email on 11 February to Nagle, Hanson and Hanson’s chief of staff, James Ashby, complaining that Nagle had sent a text message warning candidates not to contact them.
“Pauline Hanson’s One Nation is based on the right to free speech,” McLean and Louise Daniels wrote. “We do not believe that anyone has the right to say to the endorsed candidates that they are not allowed to speak to certain people within the party or even those who are not members of the party.
“We will be so very disappointed if any one of you should accept the text message from Aidan in Brisbane, that you are restricted to whom you can and cannot speak to.”
The pair suggests they will not be offended if they are ignored, but the candidates who are “True Blue Aussies” should protect their free speech by objecting to the order.
But despite the pair’s pleas for freedom of speech, it seems from directives not to speak to the media and disendorsements of dissenters that Smith’s view was the one prevailing in One Nation: love it or leave it.
Nagle has some reassuring words for the candidates who saw out the end of the campaign: “Go back and spend time with your family and friends that may be feeling neglected with the effort you put into this campaign.
“Constructively reflect on your time when you are ready but recognise that what’s done has been done, and no overthinking will change that.”
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