Tens of thousands of Sydney radio listeners have deserted the ABC in the latest ratings survey. When this happens to commercial radio networks, there are panicked phone calls, urgent meetings between executive producers, frantic exchanges between advertisers and marketing sales people and invariably a reshuffling of advertising priorities and schedules followed inevitably by a changing of the on-air guard. Some seasoned presenters may even lose their jobs, as other young talent find themselves suddenly being given the opportunity of a lifetime.

But of course, it’s completely different over at the ABC. To be sure, there will be a few embarrassed conversations, some awkward swapping of plans, but essentially it’s business as usual. Because unlike commercial radio, the ABC hierarchy knows more than a billion dollars is coming their way regardless of how well they perform.

Which is why over the years, much like the BBC in Britain, the ABC has become an echo-chamber of hard-left political activism across all its platforms in a manner that has only one inevitable result: viewers switch off.

The collapse of not only watchability but also political relevance has been most evident on the ABC’s flagship political television programmes, like Insiders, Q&A (now discontinued, which says it all), The Drum, 7.30 and so on. Although these shows still go through the motions, they lack the bite and insights of previous years, offering up instead a tedious diet of Trump Derangement Syndrome, insufferable wokism and non-stop pandering to indigenous activism. It is indigestible gruel of little substance and even less spice or flavour.

Worse, the hectoring and haranguing tone of so-called ‘star’ host Sarah Ferguson has become a national embarrassment. Indeed, if Donald Trump were ever to cast an eye over the ABC’s reporting of the Russian collusion hoax he might be inclined to seek some form of recompense. And as for the ABC’s US correspondent, John Lyons, his only notable achievement in recent times was to earn a sharp rebuke from the US President for his rude interviewing style followed by his not being invited to accompany Anthony Albanese to the PM’s long-awaited Oval Office meeting, where Sky’s Andrew Clennell stole the show.

Meanwhile, back in ABC radioland, Sydney breakfast man Craig Reucassel, formerly of The Chaser comedy shows, had his worst result in his two years hosting the show, the morning lightweight Hamish Macdonald lost market share, the afternoon’s James O’Loghlin also dropped, while drivetime host Chris Bath crashed to an abysmal 4.9 per cent market share. Failure all around.

There is literally no justification for the taxpayer propping up these losers. The next non-Labor government must commit to immediately putting the ABC onto a subscription basis, so that, hopefully, the icy wind of commercial competition forces them to lift their game.

Pauline’s fashion parade

‘Long cool woman in a black dress’ was a smash US hit for the Hollies back in 1972, and a No. 2 hit in Australia, although it didn’t do as well in the UK. Still, it was hard not to be reminded of the song as Senator Pauline Hanson this week strode into the red chamber wearing a short skirt and a long black burqa, all the better to protest the Senate’s refusal to even debate her motion to introduce a federal ban on the burqa.

There was of course much howling and  screeching from the miserable cohort of female senators who quite happily don a keffiyeh or prance around in possum cloaks as part of their own parliamentary pantomimes. Hypocrisy and humbug are alive and well in the Canberra bubble.

The burqa is both literally and metaphorically the ultimate symbol of the failed policy of multiculturalism without assimilation; a medieval garment devoid of style or beauty that is primarily used as a tool of female oppression. As with other even less savoury cultural practices, it serves to deny a woman agency of her own looks and sexuality, reducing her instead to a form of chattel. On top of which the burqa alienates the immigrant woman from any hope of successfully integrating fully into our Australian way of life.

At least 20 countries have implemented burqa bans, spanning Europe, Africa, Asia, and the Middle East. There are many reasons for such bans. Shame on the Senate for even refusing to debate the matter.