by Patrick J. Buchanan – July 3, 1998

If a tree falls in a forest in Australia, out of earshot, does it make a sound? That old teaser is more than a party riddle today.

For the tree falling in Australia is the conservative coalition of Prime Minister John Howard. And the ax chopping at the foot of that tree is the One Nation populist party, the talk of all Australia.

One Nation has existed only 18 months. Last December, The Washington Post wrote that its popularity seem to have peaked at 4 percent. But in June, One Nation swept 23 percent of the vote in Queensland — and ousted the ruling coalition from power in that northern state.