What Pauline Hanson asked, and everyone without a brain clot understood, is whether there is a connection between the rise in terrorist activity and the increasing number of migrants from Middle Eastern countries. Waleed Ali may wish to play to the weak-minded among us, but it is an act that is thankfully wearing thin: Waleed Aly follows Duncan Lewis as latest casualty in credibility stakes. Splitting hairs on the meaning of words really does tell us a very great deal about Waleed. It is true that the definition of “terrorist” does not overlap with the definition of “refugee”, but if that is your best answer to the terrorist problem, you have nothing to say of the slightest value.

Is Waleed the past tense of Wally?