Pauline Hanson isn't like other politicians ... she's worse

Take the case of former One Nation Senator Rod Culleton. His high level falling out with his dictatorial leader didn't take long, but it is the two-faced way he has been dealt with that is most shocking.

In November, she did her emotional best to say how she reluctantly had to refer Culleton's election to the Court of Disputed Returns. She knew nothing, she claimed, about his conviction in absentia for larceny, a conviction which has since been overturned.

However Culleton claims that nine days after that court case, she flew to Perth to woo him for her party. She didn't come earlier because he was still fuming over the case. He claims she wasn't worried about the matter, and it would sort itself out. She even took him and his wife to dinner on the March 11 last year to make her pitch.

The picture of the happy diners on that fateful evening, and the dates in question, make it hard to believe that she wasn't aware of the matter.

If we recognise the reason for throwing Culleton to the Court of Disputed Returns was not about the legal technicalities of the case, then what was the motive for throwing one of her own party under a bus?

"She was trying to get rid of me because I wasn't prepared to have a ring put through my nose and be led around like a prized bull at the show," Culleton says.

However Hanson wasn't as smart as she thought she was. If the Court of Disputed Returns rules that Culleton was invalidly elected the most likely outcome would be for it to order a recount.

Instead of giving her the chance to appoint a replacement, it would likely be Culleton's brother-in-law Peter Georgiou, who was second on the ticket, or even his wife who was third.

Rod Culleton's brother-in-law and wife were simply put on a list he gave to Hanson.

Hanson's other problem is that the party's federal constitution says that the "selection of candidates for public office" shall be determined by the relevant state executive in compliance with the relevant state constitution." But until two days ago One Nation wasn't registered as a political party in WA.

Far better to have Culleton bankrupted. That would let Hanson select her preferred candidate.

On top of this, there are the two candidates unceremoniously dumped because they said things Hanson didn't approve.

Surely she must be aware of the irony that her political career was only possible because she was dumped by a major party. Now her own party has dumped two candidates in as many months. One is now pondering making her own independent run.

All of this points to a sad truth. While Hanson sprouts that she is all for democracy, that is not how she runs her own party.

Similarly, her claims to give Australians a voice are betrayed by her own public statements such as "I am not going to walk away, this is not going to destroy me, this is not going to destroy the party."

You see it's not about Australia, and it's not about democracy, it's all about her ego.