Cory Bernardi, leader of One Nation South Australia, said Australia's political class consists of "midwits" who are destroying the country [1].

The comments highlight a growing rift between populist political movements and the established leadership in Australia, suggesting a crisis of confidence in the intelligence and capability of those in power.

During a televised interview at a Sky News Australia studio in Sydney, Bernardi, a former Liberal MP, targeted the current administration's approach to governance [1]. He said he wanted to "bell the cat" regarding the individuals he believes are mismanaging the nation [1].

Bernardi distinguished his specific terminology from other insults, explaining that the term refers to people of average intelligence who believe they possess superior capabilities. "I call them mitwits because the halfwits know they’re dumb, the mitwits, they’re average intelligence, but they think they’re geniuses and they’ve got some special insight," Bernardi said [1].

He argued that this combination of average intelligence and extreme overconfidence is actively driving Australia into a state of decline [1, 2]. According to Bernardi, these leaders are not merely making mistakes but are fundamentally damaging the country's future [1, 2].

"They're destroying the joint for us," Bernardi said [1].

The interview reflects a broader strategy by One Nation to position itself as a corrective force against a political establishment it views as out of touch, and incompetent [1, 2].

“"They're destroying the joint for us."”

Bernardi's rhetoric signals an attempt to delegitimize the intellectual authority of the Australian political establishment. By framing the leadership as 'midwits' rather than simply ideological opponents, he shifts the critique from policy disagreements to a fundamental lack of competence, a common tactic in populist movements to justify the need for a complete systemic overhaul.