One Nation didn't emerge in a vacuum, then or now.The global surge in right-wing populism has propelled the party and thirty years on, it’s arguably stronger than ever.But is its popularity a protest or a fundamental realignment of Australian politics? And what happens to Pauline Hanson’s One Nation, post Pauline?In the sixth and final episode of The Making of One Nation, we speak to Jill Sheppard, a political scientist and senior lecturer in the School of Politics and International Relations at the Australian National University.This episode was written and hosted by Ashlynne McGhee and produced and edited by Isabella Podwinski. Sound design by Michelle Macklem. Misha Ketchel is the editor of The Conversation Australia.If you are enjoying the series, please consider <a href="https://donate.theconversation.com/au?utm_source=theconversation.com&utm_medium=website&utm_campaign=topbar" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">donating to The Conversation</a>, an independent, not-for-profit news organisation.

One Nation didn't emerge in a vacuum, then or now. The global surge in right-wing populism has propelled the party and thirty years on, it’s arguably stronger than ever. But is its popularity a protest or a fundamental realignment of Australian politics? And what happens to Pauline Hanson’s One Nation, post Pauline? In the sixth and final episode of The Making of One Nation, we speak to Jill Sheppard, a political scientist and senior lecturer in the School of Politics and International Relations at the Australian National University. This episode was written and hosted by Ashlynne McGhee and produced and edited by Isabella Podwinski. Sound design by Michelle Macklem. Misha Ketchel is the editor of The Conversation Australia. If you are enjoying the series, please consider donating to The Conversation, an independent, not-for-profit news organisation.

One Nation didn't emerge in a vacuum, then or now.The global surge in right-wing populism has propelled the party and thirty years on, it’s arguably stronger than ever.But is its popularity a protest or a fundamental realignment of Australian politics? And what happens to Pauline Hanson’s One Nation, post Pauline?In the sixth and final episode of The Making of One Nation, we speak to Jill Sheppard, a political scientist and senior lecturer in the School of Politics and International Relations at the Australian National University.This episode was written and hosted by Ashlynne McGhee and produced and edited by Isabella Podwinski. Sound design by Michelle Macklem. Misha Ketchel is the editor of The Conversation Australia.If you are enjoying the series, please consider <a href="https://donate.theconversation.com/au?utm_source=theconversation.com&amp;utm_medium=website&amp;utm_campaign=topbar" rel="noopener noreferrer">donating to The Conversation</a>, an independent, not-for-profit news organisation.

6 | The Making of One Nation: seize the moment?

There are a lot of conspiracy theories out there. Some are bizarre – like the idea that Elvis faked his own death. Or that Britain’s royal family are actually shape-shifting alien lizards. A growing number of people <a href="https://theconversation.com/i-watched-an-entire-flat-earth-convention-for-my-research-heres-what-i-learnt-95887" target="_blank">believe the world is flat</a>. A lot of conspiracy theories relate to politics. That 9/11 was orchestrated by the US government so it could start wars in the Middle East. Or that powerful groups like the Illuminati are pulling the strings behind the scenes, plotting to establish a New World Order. Or that the new coronavirus is <a href="https://theconversation.com/coronavirus-is-a-breeding-ground-for-conspiracy-theories-heres-why-thats-a-serious-problem-132489" target="_blank">a bio-weapon engineered by the CIA</a>. Part one of the series explores what these many different ideas have in common and grapples with what actually makes something a conspiracy theory. We speak to Peter Knight, professor of American studies at the University of Manchester. He says there are three important characteristics to conspiracy theories: First, that nothing happens by accident. The idea that in history, there are no coincidences, no cock-ups. The second idea is that nothing is as it seems. The suggestion that you need to look beneath the surface to detect the actions and the intentions of the evil conspirators. And the third idea is that everything is connected. One of the difficulties with defining conspiracy theories is the fact that history is littered with real plots and conspiracies. Jovan Byford, senior lecturer in social psychology at the Open University, tells us <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-to-spot-a-conspiracy-theory-when-you-see-one-133574" target="_blank">how to spot the difference</a>.  We also speak to Clare Birchall, reader in contemporary culture at King’s College London. She challenges us to consider who we label a conspiracy theorist and why. We find out how many conspiracy theories that sound outlandish make a lot more sense when you scratch beneath the surface of why people believe in them. Andrew McKenzie-McHarg, senior research fellow at the Australian Catholic University, explains how the term conspiracy theory evolved from simply being a neutral theory about a conspiracy to a more loaded term. And Quassim Cassam, philosophy professor at the University of Warwick, argues that conspiracy theories are always a form of political propaganda. He says we must be aware of what ideology they are pushing and we must differentiate between the producers of conspiracy theories and those that believe in them. The Anthill is produced by Annabel Bligh and Gemma Ware. Sound design is by Eloise Stevens, with original music from Neeta Sarl and audio from <a href="https://www.epidemicsound.com/" target="_blank">Epidemic Sound</a>. A big thanks to City, University of London, for letting us use their studios. <hr>

There are a lot of conspiracy theories out there. Some are bizarre – like the idea that Elvis faked his own death. Or that Britain’s royal family are actually shape-shifting alien lizards. A growing number of people believe the world is flat. A lot of conspiracy theories relate to politics. That 9/11 was orchestrated by the US government so it could start wars in the Middle East. Or that powerful groups like the Illuminati are pulling the strings behind the scenes, plotting to establish a New World Order. Or that the new coronavirus is a bio-weapon engineered by the CIA. Part one of the series explores what these many different ideas have in common and grapples with what actually makes something a conspiracy theory. We speak to Peter Knight, professor of American studies at the University of Manchester. He says there are three important characteristics to conspiracy theories: First, that nothing happens by accident. The idea that in history, there are no coincidences, no cock-ups. The second idea is that nothing is as it seems. The suggestion that you need to look beneath the surface to detect the actions and the intentions of the evil conspirators. And the third idea is that everything is connected. One of the difficulties with defining conspiracy theories is the fact that history is littered with real plots and conspiracies. Jovan Byford, senior lecturer in social psychology at the Open University, tells us how to spot the difference. We also speak to Clare Birchall, reader in contemporary culture at King’s College London. She challenges us to consider who we label a conspiracy theorist and why. We find out how many conspiracy theories that sound outlandish make a lot more sense when you scratch beneath the surface of why people believe in them. Andrew McKenzie-McHarg, senior research fellow at the Australian Catholic University, explains how the term conspiracy theory evolved from simply being a neutral theory about a conspiracy to a more loaded term. And Quassim Cassam, philosophy professor at the University of Warwick, argues that conspiracy theories are always a form of political propaganda. He says we must be aware of what ideology they are pushing and we must differentiate between the producers of conspiracy theories and those that believe in them. The Anthill is produced by Annabel Bligh and Gemma Ware. Sound design is by Eloise Stevens, with original music from Neeta Sarl and audio from Epidemic Sound. A big thanks to City, University of London, for letting us use their studios.

There are a lot of conspiracy theories out there. Some are bizarre – like the idea that Elvis faked his own death. Or that Britain’s royal family are actually shape-shifting alien lizards. A growing number of people&nbsp;<a href="https://theconversation.com/i-watched-an-entire-flat-earth-convention-for-my-research-heres-what-i-learnt-95887" rel="noopener noreferrer">believe the world is flat</a>. A lot of conspiracy theories relate to politics. That 9/11 was orchestrated by the US government so it could start wars in the Middle East. Or that powerful groups like the Illuminati are pulling the strings behind the scenes, plotting to establish a New World Order. Or that the new coronavirus is <a href="https://theconversation.com/coronavirus-is-a-breeding-ground-for-conspiracy-theories-heres-why-thats-a-serious-problem-132489" rel="noopener noreferrer">a bio-weapon engineered by the CIA</a>. Part one of the series explores what these many different ideas have in common and grapples with what actually makes something a conspiracy theory. We speak to Peter Knight, professor of American studies at the University of Manchester. He says there are three important characteristics to conspiracy theories: First, that nothing happens by accident. The idea that in history, there are no coincidences, no cock-ups. The second idea is that nothing is as it seems. The suggestion that you need to look beneath the surface to detect the actions and the intentions of the evil conspirators. And the third idea is that everything is connected. One of the difficulties with defining conspiracy theories is the fact that history is littered with real plots and conspiracies. Jovan Byford, senior lecturer in social psychology at the Open University, tells us <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-to-spot-a-conspiracy-theory-when-you-see-one-133574" rel="noopener noreferrer">how to spot the difference</a>.&nbsp; We also speak to Clare Birchall, reader in contemporary culture at King’s College London. She challenges us to consider who we label a conspiracy theorist and why. We find out how many conspiracy theories that sound outlandish make a lot more sense when you scratch beneath the surface of why people believe in them. Andrew McKenzie-McHarg, senior research fellow at the Australian Catholic University, explains how the term conspiracy theory evolved from simply being a neutral theory about a conspiracy to a more loaded term. And Quassim Cassam, philosophy professor at the University of Warwick, argues that conspiracy theories are always a form of political propaganda. He says we must be aware of what ideology they are pushing and we must differentiate between the producers of conspiracy theories and those that believe in them. The Anthill is produced by Annabel Bligh and Gemma Ware. Sound design is by Eloise Stevens, with original music from Neeta Sarl and audio from <a href="https://www.epidemicsound.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer">Epidemic Sound</a>. A big thanks to City, University of London, for letting us use their studios.

Expert guide to conspiracy theories part 1 – how to spot one

A podcast on time: telling it, perceiving it, doing it and travelling through it.

Anthill 1: About time

The Conversation Documentaries (formerly The Anthill) is podcast from The Conversation. Our documentary series cover everything from science to the environment, politics, culture and economics. We unearth new stories from the world of academia and talk to experts to shed light on some of the big questions of today. The Conversation is a not-for-profit independent media organisation and our journalists work with academics to help share their research knowledge with as many people as possible.

Sign up to save your podcasts

FAQs about The Conversation Documentaries:

How many episodes does The Conversation Documentaries have?

The Conversation Documentaries episodes:

FAQs about The Conversation Documentaries:

How many episodes does The Conversation Documentaries have?

Background Briefing

Saturday Extra - Full program podcast

Conversations

The Audio Long Read

Politics Now

Rear Vision — How History Shaped Today

Politics with Michelle Grattan

Trust Me, I'm An Expert

Sains Sekitar Kita

Today in Focus

Pasha - from The Conversation Africa

7am

To the moon and beyond

Full Story

La preuve par trois

Les mots de la science

Les couleurs du racisme

Don’t Call Me Resilient

The Conversation Weekly

Retour sur...

In Extenso

SuarAkademia

Secrets de Terrain

Great Mysteries of Physics

Fear and Wonder

Sara & Cariad's Weirdos Book Club

Global Roaming with Geraldine Doogue and Hamish Macdonald

The Conversation's Curious Kids

Below the Line

No One Saw It Coming

ill-advised by Bill Nighy

Jane Austen's Paper Trail