Brian Burston, the PHON (Pauline Hanson's One Nation) Senator representing New South Wales, was in Washington DC for the inauguration of Donald Trump as 45th President of the United States. He posted his account on his Facebook page. My comment in response appears further down.

That response serves as my general position on "anti-politicians" such as Trump, Hanson, Leyonhjelm, Clive Palmer and so on (and, for those like myself with memories of Lake Macquarie politics of the 1980s, Ivan Welsh). In case the Facebook link breaks at some stage I repeat my comment:

"Horrifying. Trump is a profoundly unqualified and unsuitable man to be President, and his conduct and actions and those of the people around him in his first week have borne that out.

He is the product of a broken system that takes its politicians, however flawed, for granted; a party that looked the other way when it should have screened out a very bad candidate; and an antiquated electoral system that allowed a man who came a distant second on the national count to win.

Everyone who voted for Donald Trump, supports Donald Trump, or condones his outlaw behaviour will bear the shame of this dreadful episode forever.

People dislike politicians, often with good reason, often without, but history has shown time and time again that the anti-politicians are worse. Their rise comes in waves. Trump's riding one of those waves. Hanson is one of those rare anti-politicians who has caught the wave twice. You, Senator Burston, are extremely fortunate to be surfing on Senator Hanson's second wave.

But voters get disenchanted with anti-politicians very quickly. They, and you, will get dumped by that wave sooner rather than later. Just don't drown the rest of us."