When Pauline Hanson and Tommy Robinson met, hatred was a given. More disturbing was the spectacle | Hugh Riminton

One Nation’s polling popularity is proof we live in an upside-down world which surpasses substance and vaults reason Pauline Hanson’s podcast with Tommy Robinson was dispiriting in unexpected ways. Racism was a given: more deflating was the recognition of its entertainment value. Enough attention has been directed towards Robinson, real name Stephen Yaxley-Lennon. He is a thug, a fraudster, a bully and a bigot. Despite, or because of this, there are those who rush to swing hands with him. Like Senator Hanson, he has a gift for embodying and amplifying grievance. He is a good podcaster; with Hanson, he listened. He directed the conversation in intriguing ways; his interruptions accelerated rather than halted the flow. His empathy when Hanson described being rocked, devastated, on the day she was sentenced to jail, when she saw her then 19-year-old daughter being interviewed on television, looked convincing enough. At one point, Hanson and Robinson simply stared at each other, laughing. For six whole seconds. It was open-throated delight. Two people intoxicated by their moment. Moments pass, of course. Barely days ago, Karl Stefanovic was telling Robinson, “I love you.” With Hanson i