18th December 1999
It is a trifle ironic that Queensland, the state which launched the Hanson phenomenon (or people's voice), is now the first to make an effective break from the Manly dictatorship. Other states are preparing to challenge the leadership as discontent grows.
Over the last five weeks I have been recording concerns about the management of the party and the stories of "white ants". It reveals a sad travesty of the democratic principles which One Nation members stand for.
Since these reports started going to air the five Queensland MPS have "left" One Nation and formed One Nation Queensland. The response from the 2Ds at Manly has been predictable with the MPs and Heather Hill being branded "white ants".
It is quite clear that things are not quite right at Manly and I believe that before the new millennium is ushered in there will be some startling revelations which will see the 2D Factor simply slip quietly out of view and the membership being able, at last, attain its rightful position of control.
The position of the five MPs and their principled stand is in direct contrast to the secrecy and intimidation which has been the unfortunate hallmark of the early history of this party under Ettridge and Oldfield.
In November I wrote a piece challenging David Oldfield's motives and his attitude. The article resulted in my receiving a "please explain" letter from David Ettridge hours later and my resignation as web master while meeting Pauline Hanson the next day. A few days later Ettridge wrote a letter to the membership declaring me a white ant.
The manner in which Oldfield operates is succinctly summed up in the following verbal exchange which took place between Oldfield and Bill Feldman on Friday the 10th December. The exchange was overheard by a person travelling with Oldfield who had his mobile phone on car speaker at the time.
As a bit of background to the call, it was less than ten months before that Oldfield had used a barrage of abuse punctuated with four letter words to off-side five MPs who then deserted the party in February this year. The piece-de-resistance coming when Oldfield accused the MPs of "being on drugs" because they would not conform to his whims.
In the weeks leading up to the overheard car phone call Feldman had been working hard to hammer out a compromise with the 2Ds for a new party to replace the one de-registered. All attempts had failed and Feldman had initiated the call to Oldfield to let him know that a new party would be registered without the influence or participation of the 2D Factor.
In the early stages of the conversation Oldfield was the master of diplomacy.
"Bill, Bill, we know you are not like the others," Oldfield responded when Bill raised the issue. He was desperate to get at least one MP on side so that Pauline Hanson's One Nation could register a new party in Queensland that fitted the 2D Factor under the MPs signature. (Without the MP 500 members signatures would have to be found - a difficult task for One Nation in Queensland today).
"You're not like Jack Paff. You're not weak like the others: Black, Dalgleish and Prenzler (the other four MPs)," Oldfield continued. "Bill, you know I love you like a brother. You know that we have had a good relationship."
Feldman responded, "Sorry David I don't want to be left alone with you fellows, waiting for the axe to fall on me."
Oldfield's infamous change in persona was reflected in the outburst that followed (the liberal use of four letter words has been clinically removed), "Well, Bill, you are the master of your own destiny," Oldfield responded.
"You're nothing but a speed bump to this organisation. I'll cut you out like a cancer. I'll light you up so you glow in the dark. I've got loads of people in Queensland now loading their guns to shoot you down like the dog you are."
When a Courier-Mail reporter, Jeff Sommerfeld, contacted Oldfield yesterday about his reported comments he retorted, "You dirty bastard Jeffrey. How dare you write something like this? It is just a fucking personal attack on me.
"These five shit heads (the five MPs) who are only in parliament because of Pauline Hanson's name and my hard work, do you know how embarrassing they are? They are only there because of us."
Hocking, who was fired from Senator Len Harris' office on Tuesday said, "He's (Oldfield) a very intelligent bloke. Perhaps a lot of people like that don't have patience with people who are not smart.
"That's one of his weaknesses - he was impatient and liked to get his own way - had to get his own way. It was very hard to get him to backdown on something.
"It was always David Oldfield's One Nation. He told me it was his idea to establish it. He is the mastermind. He is the key man. It's Pauline Hanson's One Nation in name only - it's not her party.
"He had control of all the policy, the candidates and the election strategy. I don't think much goes on that he's not directly involved in or doesn't know much about.
"Pauline had a few ideas but these get overruled. Oldfield is a very persuasive figure - if it is not what he wants he will do things to get her to do it his way."
Meanwhile the political adviser to the Queensland MPs Ian Petersen has had no time for Oldfield for some time. "I don't have any respect for him other than he is fairly articulate. It all comes back to his attitude. If ever anything went right it was him that instigated it. If it went wrong it had nothing to do with him.
"He has this image that he is a political strategist extraordinaire. I felt he made so many mistakes I could not subscribe to that point of view."
As I mentioned above events taking place in the pipeline right now are likely to secure the freedom of One Nation from the 2D tyranny in the near future.
The membership has got to remove the blinkers and recognise that the current leadership is fatally flawed and killing off the "people's party". Plan "B" has now been put in place in Queensland with the MPs firing ahead with One Nation Queensland. This weekend members of several large branches of Pauline Hanson's One Nation will resign and join One Nation Queensland. Some media coverage is expected of the event - I will certainly be covering at least one of the symbolic moves to support the Queensland MPs.
Nationwide the party's membership have got to start thinking where the party will go once the 2D Factor has been removed from the leadership. This will be a time for reconciliation and repair under a democratic constitution and democratically run structure. A time for respect and growth.
The move by the MPs in Queensland was an extremely bold one and showed tremendous strength of character as the five held together and jointly signed the document registering the new party - a document now lodged with the Queensland Electoral Commission.
The new party is but a transition - once democracy has returned to Pauline Hanson's One Nation the new party, One Nation Queensland, will come back into the fold far stronger and better equipped to fight the next state election.
The chasm will have been bridged and we can all then move forward free of the baggage and focus on the issues that confront the Australian people as a whole.