It’s fascinating to compare the current imbroglio between two potential political leaders: Warren Pickering, of whom nobody had ever heard only a few weeks ago yet who could potentially end up premier of Victoria, and Andrew Hastie, who could potentially lead the Liberal party and go on to become prime minister of this country. Both scenarios are more unlikely than likely, but stranger things have happened in Australian politics. (Future generations will look back and scratch their heads in disbelief at how on earth Anthony Albanese, a talentless Labor undergraduate socialist who never grew up and whose greatest memorable international gesture was to insult the Japanese prime minister by juggling an imaginary pair of melons, ever became prime minister of this country.)

Both Hastie and Pickering come from an army background prior to entering politics, and are to be commended for their service to this nation. Both have families to think of. Both hold and present themselves well, as one would expect, and both clearly have a combative spirit.

And both are currently in the news solely because of the rise of One Nation.

This week, Andrew Hastie took to the airwaves to declare (again) war against One Nation, and in particular against Pauline Hanson and Barnaby Joyce. His grievance is over being labelled a ‘traitor’ in One Nation’s satirical South Park-styled cartoon series, Please Explain.

Mr Hastie, appearing on News24, repeatedly insisted that the cartoon brands him as a ‘traitor to Australia’ and that because she authorised these comments, Pauline Hanson must ‘own’ them and apologise or take the cartoon down. The alternative, he suggests, is a battle he intends to win, although he appears to rule out legal action.

There are a few problems with this. The most obvious being that at no point in the cartoon is Mr Hastie actually called ‘a traitor to Australia’. The justification, in the cartoon, for Mr Hastie being labelled a traitor is twofold: because he testified against Ben Roberts-Smith and because he voted for Labor’s anti-hate speech laws 48 hours after having promised his supporters that he would not do so. In other words, the cartoon accuses him of betraying Ben Roberts-Smith (as an army comrade) and accuses him of betraying the electorate (by changing his vote). Elsewhere in the cartoon, there is the suggestion that Mr Hastie might betray his boss, the leader of the opposition Angus Taylor, by seizing the leadership for himself, but the same accusation is levelled at Jane Hume, Tim Wilson, Dan Tehan and other knife-wielders.

And herein lies the problem. It is one thing to be called a traitor to your country, especially as an ex-serviceman, but it is a very different kettle of fish to be accused of being a traitor to your colleagues, your supporters, or your comrades, the latter two of which are fairly standard fare for any politician. Especially when in the context of political satire. To be sure, the situation whereby Mr Hastie testified against Mr Roberts-Smith is extremely vexed, but there is no question that there are ex-servicemen and women who are extremely unhappy with his decision to do so. This is something Mr Hastie has to live with, but the truth is it has tarnished his personal and political reputation in some eyes. The cartoon may be amplifying that sentiment and indeed satirising it in a cruel fashion, but it did not create that disquiet.

Will this latest conflict between the member for Canning and the usurpers of One Nation help or damage him? It is unlikely to be a net benefit or a net loss, but rather will probably simply harden existing attitudes. Those who support Mr Hastie will relish his fighting spirit, and those who feel betrayed by his actions will simply see it as evidence of a thin skin and poor political judgment.

Which brings us to Warren Pickering. (Readers who have been overseas for the last few weeks may be asking ‘Who?’ at this point.) Unknown until only a few weeks ago, Mr Pickering is the leader of One Nation in Victoria, and could potentially be premier of that benighted state before Christmas. This week, a series of wild and eye-popping accusations from some two decades ago, prior to his time in the army, were made against him by his estranged wife. Sex, drugs and rock ’n roll seem to be the gist of it all. Since the allegations surfaced, Mr Pickering has admitted to past wrongdoings, including some pretty unsavoury ones, but insists he is a changed man. It would be no doubt entertaining to see the Please Explain crowd do a cartoon satirising Mr Pickering’s colourful past.

But where this story took a very dramatic and unexpected turn was when two of Mr Pickering’s grown-up children appeared at a press conference, organised by One Nation, to speak up on his behalf. Both young adults were mesmerising as they told of the difficulties of their clearly challenging upbringings and their love for their father and dislike of their mother, the woman making the allegations. There was nothing contrived about their testimonies; no spin, no media training. Just raw emotion and honesty. The stepson, after detailing ‘one of the worst childhood’s going around’ and the trauma he and his siblings still feel, referred to his mother as a narcissistic, compulsive liar with a vendetta against her ex. The daughter said much along the same lines: ‘My father has always been there for us, at the end of the day we always came first.’

So how will this play out for Mr Pickering? Again, those who don’t like him or One Nation will feel vindicated, but the reality is that there will be many Victorians from all walks of life, but especially from families that have had their own traumas, who will be swayed mightily by the support of the two kids.