In lieu of a reptile update, lovely Rita, meter maid, fills the pond's Monday slot ...

 

The pond has a confession to make - Benedic mihi, Pater, quia peccavi.

In all the time the pond has been tracking assorted Murdochian reptiles, and that's now a long, long time, the pond has paid absolutely no attention to lovely Rita, meter maid for the HUN.

As the pond is currently in Melbourne, and in absentia padding the pond with tabloid nonsense to keep up the hits, it seemed only right and proper to pay some attention to Rita ... and to her HUN outings (the pond realises that she's also a big player for Sky Noise - still no rebrand? - but best to start slowly).

What a disappointment. In a recent outing, Rita was just a part of the murmuration of reptiles, dedicated to the perils of Pauline, and in the way of the tabloids, just a three minute read. Such drivel, and in such small portions.

The pond realises that the dismal press club fuss is now well in the past, but expert herpetologists will find a couple of things of interest:

(a) yet more proof of how widespread the Hansonifcation of the Murdoch press has become, with every Murdochian reptile rallying to the cause;

and (b) how inclined Rita is inclined to hysteria. It was just a press club outing, not a trip around a Florida swamp surrounded by 'gators:

The header: Rita Panahi: GetUp responsible for biggest own goal in Australian politics, The left-wing activist group’s stunt at Pauline Hanson’s Press Club address must be one of the dumbest acts of political sabotage imaginable.

As usual, being a tabloid, Rita was only required to drum up a feeble three minutes, the maximum length that the AFL infested hive mind could attempt to swallow at a sitting.

The reptiles started with a AV distraction, featuring the IPA, which tells you as much about Rita and her attempt to pump up the Pauline volume as you need to know:

IPA Deputy Executive Director Daniel Wild is impressed by One Nation Leader Pauline Hanson tackling the issues shaping Australia's future and challenging topics many politicians are too afraid to discuss. “I thought Senator Hanson’s performance was very strong at the Press Club,” Mr Wild told Sky News host Rita Panahi. “The issues that she was discussing are the issues that matter to Australia’s future. “I think her assessment of multiculturalism was spot on, as was her assessment of net zero and various other issues, including gender ideology. “What I think is very exciting about this time in our country is that the strictures of debate are being blown open. “You’re not supposed to debate these things.”

Rita proceeded to show how she was more than just Pauline curious or IPA supportive:

Pauline Hanson nailed her address at the National Press Club on Wednesday as a new poll revealed the majority of Australians believe One Nation is ready to govern.
Facing a hostile audience, Hanson articulated her party’s vision for Australia, outlining policy positions on housing, immigration and productivity, alongside key cultural issues ranging from radical trans- activism to the Islamist threat.
It was ideologically clear and unapologetic – the sort of speech conservative voters have for years wanted to hear from a Liberal leader.

Farcically Rita presented the docile press club as a hostile audience, when they mostly - with a few honourable exceptions - acted like sheep baaing a homage: Facing a hostile audience, Pauline Hanson articulated her party’s vision for Australia. Picture: Martin Ollman

How many times have you read in the Murdoch press a devotion to Pauline because she wants to take down their media enemies? Add to your count now:

This wasn’t a leader worried about offending the political or media class, indeed she declared war on both, announcing any government she leads would abolish SBS and make dramatic cuts to the bloated ABC.
Her message to the media was clear: you can criticise and scrutinise but activism masquerading as journalism would be called out. “I’m an elected representative and I should be scrutinised, that doesn’t give you the licence to pile on … (and) delegitimise my party,” she said. “It doesn’t give you the licence to continue to repeat the lie that we are a racist party – because that is untrue. The Australian people can make up their own mind and they are.
“Rest assured, there will be big changes if One Nation is given the chance. SBS will be gone, there’s no need for it anymore; the internet has overtaken the need for it.”
Hanson also hit back at Leftist activist reporter Sarah Martin who she labelled “trashy”, accusing the Guardian writer of publishing “lies”.

It's not just the pond that has made the observation that Hanson has made a career out of demonising the media and making herself a poor pitiful me victim.

See the Malcolm Farr in the Graudian:

Pauline Hanson’s media attacks are not just Trump-inspired. For 30 years she has sought to control the press
The One Nation leader’s anger at reporters reflects an intolerance towards anyone who challenges her preferred, self-crafted reality

Well yes, it's the authoritarian way, but the reptiles also live in their preferred self-crafted reality, and so, together with another snap came another tribute, Hanson nailed her address at the National Press Club. Picture: Martin Ollman

It's funny to see a migrant, one whom Pauline would have liked to stop at the border - right origin, wrong surname - carry on this way, but consider it a variation on the Stockholm syndrome or a form of appeasement or perhaps learned helplessness:

Similarly, her exchange with SBS reporter Anna Henderson was robust, with Hanson telling the network’s chief political correspondent: “You’re going to be without a job.” When Henderson claimed that SBS’s foreign language services were needed to help migrants “integrate into Australia”, Hanson responded with “I want them to be able to learn English … that will help them assimilate into our society.”
It’s a sound argument that will have widespread appeal.
Hanson understands that most of the media, whether taxpayer funded or not, are not her friends. Nor do they understand why she has surged in the polls. They have contempt for her, her party and her supporters. It’s the same disdain the political establishment has for much of the population, a theme Hanson touched on in her speech.
“Two years ago, I tried to secure a national plebiscite on immigration numbers. As usual, most of the Senate dismissed the notion of giving Australians a direct say on policy and voted it down,” she said. “During the debate I … remember Coalition senator Paul Scarr saying the issue was too complex to put to the Australian people.
“That disgusting comment says all you need to know about the political establishment’s contempt for the Australian people: contempt for their intelligence, and contempt for the very concept of actually listening to them. I’m always listening, and that’s why my policy to slash immigration reflects what most Australians want.”
What was most impressive was the manner in which Hanson handled media questioning.
It’s little wonder the latest Sky News Pulse/YouGov survey found that 50 per cent of voters believe One Nation is ready to govern today with 33 per cent saying the party will be ready by 2028.
One of the dumbest acts of political sabotage imaginable
GetUp has serious questions to answer after a stunt designed to damage Pauline Hanson ended up embarrassing the National Press Club and led to the Leftist activist group being referred for investigation by the Australian Federal Police.
During Hanson’s speech, a large banner was unfurled behind her in a shocking security breach.

Note the generous dollops of praise, another indication that Rita and the rest of the reptiles are way beyond being Pauline curious.

Naturally, keeping up with this new lizard Oz tradition, the reptiles flung in an AV distraction featuring the dog botherer, celebrating the "political juggernaut":

Sky News host Chris Kenny questioned why a protester was able to disrupt One Nation Leader Pauline Hanson’s National Press Club address. “She [Pauline Hanson] turned up today as the political juggernaut upending politics around the country, outpolling both Liberal and Labor nationally,” Mr Kenny said. “An anti-Hanson poster was unfurled early in her speech; the National Press Club claimed no knowledge. “How could this be allowed to happen? How could the Press Club be so slack about security at such a highly anticipated event? “It was an appalling lapse. Still, Hanson was unfazed, and she wasn't afraid to get a little bit prickly inside the Canberra bubble.”

That was enough for Rita, the verdict was in, and the stunt was unimaginably bad (do the reptiles have the first clue about the sorts of tricks that happen elsewhere in the world?)

In a statement, the Press Club apologised to Hanson and confirmed it would explore legal options to seek damages from GetUp once the AFP investigation is concluded.
“We have referred the relevant footage and other evidence to the AFP for further investigation,” the statement read.
“The organisation GetUp is claiming credit for the stunt. The GetUp representative at the address was David Sharaz. At time of writing, we understand he is yet to be interviewed by the AFP.”
Barnaby Joyce also condemned the stunt: “It’s so dangerous when you think about it, they got in there and managed to rig up a sign and had the capacity to lower it. What if it was a bomb?”
The incident must be one of the dumbest acts of political sabotage imaginable – GetUp only succeeded in making Hanson look calm under pressure while exposing the organisation to criminal investigation.

And so to establish the mood for the next Rita moment:

The pond supposes this outing is still slightly relevant, what with the World Cup still going down.

The header: Rita Panahi: To suggest that those against mass migration are anti-refugee or anti-migrant is a fallacy; Before the final whistle blew, blowhards swarmed social media with claims that those who are anti-mass migration or pro-Australian values, specifically anyone who supports One Nation, could not celebrate the Socceroos’ victory. It’s typically asinine and unintentionally racist commentary.

As seems to be the form, the reptiles started with an AV distraction, 'Won't be at Watford much longer': Irankunda draws global headlines in World Cup debut; After a performance that drew global headlines, Julian Linden expects Nestory Irankunda...

The reptiles proposed that what Rita was offering was "less than 2 min read", which seems to be short serve even by tabloid standards.

What with the pond boycotting the World Cup - hardly surprising as the pond routinely boycotts most sport - the pond doesn't have much to offer, especially as Rita drew herself up and took umbrage.

Australia’s race-obsessed Lefties are trying to politicise our World Cup triumph.
Before the final whistle blew, blowhards swarmed social media with claims that those who are anti-mass migration or pro-Australian values, specifically anyone who supports One Nation, could not celebrate the victory.

The activist class never misses an opportunity to inject their poisonous brand of politics into every facet of life, even a famous World Cup victory against the odds.

There was a specially selected stock footage snap to go with the outrage: Race-obsessed Lefties are trying to politicise our World Cup triumph. Getty

The pond knows what the AFL mob would make of it, because they're so sports obsessed they'd watch a couple of flies race up a window.

Rita carried on ranting ...

Their reasoning was typically asinine and unintentionally racist, but nevertheless, almost every post about Australia’s win or the heroics of Player of the Match and opening goal scorer Nestory Irankunda was soiled with political commentary.
Our youngest ever World Cup scorer’s refugee status was weaponised to turn a unifying moment for Australia into another partisan fight.
To suggest that those against mass migration – incidentally, that’s the majority of Australians according to polls – are anti-refugee or anti-migrant is a fallacy.

Actually the pond has noted in the short summaries of matches offered by SBS (and insisted on by the pond's partner) that there are a remarkable number of players in teams with what might be called "different characteristics".

This is clear enough in teams from Scandinavian countries, but also in other European teams.

Is it wrong to draw attention to the benefits of migration, and the stacking of teams with those who have the right skill sets?

Not really.

The pond did a little digging and came across this in The Conversation ...How migration became a key to World Cup success

Then there was this one, with "expatriates" standing in for those who move around... Origins and destinations of football expatriates (2020-2024)

And so on, and Vox came up with this graphic for the previous World Cup ...

The reptiles instead decided to fling in a snap with a caption evoking the toilet: Almost every post about Australia’s win or Nestory Irankunda was soiled with political commentary. Picture: Getty

Don't get the pond wrong. The pond is all in favour of migrants moving about, making the best of their skills, and benefiting the clubs and the countries that will have them, something which shouldn't be restricted to sport, whatever the first world guilt involved in depriving some countries of skilled medical workers or other urgently needed specialists.

Gosh darn it ...

Trust Rita to get the wrong end of this stick:

Why, in a sane world, it should be possible for a migrant to move countries, and turn into a barking mad far right columnist for the HUN, getting down with migration basher Pauline ...
As is the notion that those who support One Nation must be white and Australian-born.
Those tired old narratives look pretty silly when One Nation is leading the polls as the most popular political party.
On Monday, we saw Pauline Hanson overtake Anthony Albanese to become the nation’s preferred prime minister, according to the latest Resolve Political Monitor poll.
The polling also shows that One Nation’s level of support is almost identical between those born here (29 per cent) and first generation migrants born overseas (28 per cent).
When looking at ethnicity, 31 per cent of Anglo-Saxon Australians support the party as do 24 per cent with a non-Anglo background.
Efforts to divide the nation and rob the joy out of this unifying World Cup moment must be rejected.
Those who support policies to lower migration, stop illegal immigration and deport non-citizen criminals are not fringe dwellers; they are very much in the mainstream.
None of those policy positions are at odds with backing a national team that has multiple refugees from Africa, and one from Europe.
As a fellow refugee, I see our national team as a shining example of what a uniquely welcoming and egalitarian country this is, where anyone with talent or work ethic can achieve enormous success.

She's a fellow refugee?

Fleeing Arkansas, USA, and then Iran, is the same as moving from Tanzania and Watford?

Uh huh. Go tell Pauline's mob that and see if they care.

The reptiles attached a thumb bio, and the pond thought, given the way it had ignored Rita, that it should be included for those as ignorant of her as the pond has been ...

Columnist and Sky News host
Rita is a senior columnist at Herald Sun, and Sky News Australia anchor of The Rita Panahi Show and co-anchor of top-rating Sunday morning discussion program Outsiders. Born in America, Rita spent much of her childhood in Iran before her family moved to Australia as refugees. She holds a Master of Business, with a career spanning more than two decades, first within the banking sector and the past ten years as a journalist and columnist.

Born in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, USA? 

Now there's a tidy balance to the brain drain that saw the Murdoch family abandon their Australian citizenship for filthy lucre and head off to the States. You're welcome America.

Just because this is all filler, the pond decided to throw in some Rita comments, to see the level of intellect the hive mind readership could show ...

And so on, but that's more than enough, and now you can hazard a guess as to the nature of the HUN's readership ...