It has been a week where a number of world ‘leaders’ have exceeded even the lowest of expectations. Clearly the lion in this fight is Donald Trump as Jesus, but there are some other really notable, local contenders.

Liberal leader Angus Taylor put in a strong bid when he launched the party’s ‘Australian Values Migration Plan’. Channelling his inner Tony Abbott, Taylor said: “Those who migrate from liberal democracies have a greater likelihood of subscribing to Australian values compared to those migrating from places ruled by fundamentalists, extremists, and dictators. In that vein, the Gazan cohort of 1,700 people here on visas presents a high risk to our nation.”

It is worth reading the whole speech, but he added that: “Past governments blindly repeated mantras about Australia being the world’s most successful multicultural society – and diversity being our strength. Such doctrines saw us open our borders to people who – far from wanting to join and contribute to Australia – have wanted to take from Australia and even change Australia to suit them.”

He announced there would be a values test and social-media screening.

While the policy was thin on detail, it was strong on rhetoric, and quickly slammed by groups all over the nation, including former Prime Minister Paul Keating, who on P&I said it took the Liberal Party back to “its default political policy: racism”.

It is absolutely clear what Taylor is doing, or at least trying to do. Like Abbott (remember ‘Stop the Boats’) he is appealing to our worst instincts, stoking fear and hate for political gain.

But you will be glad to know that not only is the policy revolting, it is just plain dumb. According to Kos Samaras, immigration is not the all-consuming concern for voters that Taylor assumes. His new research says that immigrants are not the primary cause of voter worry and anger. Even One Nation voters have bigger fish to fry – they are much more unhappy with institutions, business and politicians.

And of course all this took place in a week where fear mongering and hate took a big knock, with the landslide election defeat of Hungarian dictator Viktor Orbán.

Not that Taylor’s mate Abbott read the global room. The former Prime Minister leapt to praise Orbán on Elon Musk’s X platform. He said: “Viktor Orbán has been a very consequential PM – probably the most consequential Hungary has ever had. … I thought he was dead right to defy the EU, on illegal immigration especially. Why should a sovereign nation be bullied by Brussels into policies that would jeopardise its future as a distinct people? Under Orbán, Budapest became something of a haven for conservative intellectuals…”

Clearly Abbott sees himself as one such, as a non-resident fellow of the conservative think tank the Danube Institute in Budapest.

So that takes me to my best bit for the week.

Many things made me smile this week, but the wide, make-your-face hurt smile came watching a middle-aged man dance – really dance. That man was Zsolt Hegedűs, senior member for the victorious Hungarian Tisza Party that shoved Orbán out of power. Hegedűs was joined by huge crowds celebrating Tisza’s supermajority win. A joyous release for a whole nation, summed up beautifully by a man in a suit jacket and sensible shoes, busting some moves in glee.

It is a nice way to end the week, a reminder that one minute you’re surrounded by tyranny and darkness and the next you are dancing like it’s 1999.

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