A poll published last weekend indicated that if a federal election were held then, One Nation would receive the highest first preference vote among all political parties. A week earlier, another poll indicated that One Nation could have won up to 53 seats (out of 150) in the lower house had and election been held then, making it the official opposition in the parliament.
‘Expert’ commentators first called the shift in voter preferences a ‘protest vote.’ They now say some of the new One Nation supporters are ‘sticking.’ They variously identify the cost of living, ‘woke’ policies, high levels of immigration, the costs of energy transition, the federal budget, or some combination of those reasons as the cause.
Similar shifts towards more conservative parties have occurred in the United Kingdom and some European countries. The MAGA (Make America Great Again) movement in the United States delivered President Trump a second term in office.
I want to offer a different explanation for the conservative swing. I believe it is a modern-day equivalent of Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem which we celebrate as Palm Sunday. The gospels record the people crying out, ‘Hosannah’, which means ‘save us’ or ‘save us now.’ I doubt that they were seeking an altar call. They were oppressed savagely by the Romans and their religious leaders. The latter had not only religious authority, but significant political power delegated by the Romans. The ordinary Jew could barely survive under the economic and religious burdens imposed by the Roman and Jewish ruling classes. At least a quarter of ordinary Jews were living at or below starvation level—and it is well to remember that until about 1820, 95% of the world’s population lived in abject poverty. The crowd crying, ‘Hosannah’ wanted to be saved alright, but they were seeking temporal not eternal salvation.
It is significant that the cleansing of the Temple is recorded after the ‘triumphal entry.’ Jesus attacked the exploitative religious, economic and political system that had turned the temple from a ‘house of prayer’ into a ‘den of thieves.’ He answered the people’s ‘Hosannah.’
(As an aside, it is not plausible that the crowd crying out, ‘Barabas’ a week later was the same crowd that cried ‘Hosannah.’ That Barabas crowd was likely visitors to Jerusalem for Passover who did not know Jesus and were stirred up by the Jewish leaders whose religious, political and economic power was threatened by Jesus.)
I believe that the rise of One Nation is a ‘hosannah’ cry from ordinary people who feel oppressed. They are, indeed, concerned about all the things the commentators identify but it is their sense of utter powerlessness to realise their aspirations that is driving them. Of course, the ordinary Australian today is much better off than the ordinary Jew in the first century. Nevertheless, the people are crying, ‘Hosannah.’
To be frank, I hope that there is a change of government at the next federal election. However, I propose that only an awakening to the Christian faith can answer the people’s hosannah. It starts with a refreshing of the saints, then a revival in the church and it finally spills over into an awakening among the people. Christianity encourages aspiration, it is empowering and it sets us free. Furthermore, the idea that every person has value because each is created by and loved by God is the very foundation of western civilisation.
By all means, believe for a change of government. But far more importantly, intercede for our nation and pray for an awakening among its people. I believe with all my heart that PIFA’s God-given assignment right now is to pray and believe for a great awakening. It has happened before. Most assuredly, it can happen again. History shows that it all starts with prayer.
