Nothing suss about Sussan’s extra ‘s’. Many leaders go gaga for woo-woo

On the face of it, it seems mean-spirited to critique that superfluous third “s” in the name of the newly elected Liberal Party leader, Sussan Ley. That is, until you discover she inserted it herself – because of a mystical, pseudoscientific theory. She did so knowing it’d probably cause confusion in pronunciation and spelling, making it more complex than the dour, straightforward spelling she was born with: Susan (it’s pronounced exactly the same).

Sussan Ley: “I worked out that if you added an ‘s’ I would have an incredibly exciting, interesting life and nothing would ever be boring.”Credit: Alex Ellinghausen

This, though, may’ve been the point. In 2015 she told The Australian: “I read about this numerology theory that if you add the numbers that match the letters in your name you can change your personality. I worked out that if you added an ‘s’ I would have an incredibly exciting, interesting life and nothing would ever be boring.”

Numerology is what most people would consider “woo-woo”: a junk-science supernatural belief, alien to science and facts. The theory posits that numbers and corresponding letters have “energy vibrations” that influence your personality, fortune and destiny.

That unnecessary third “s” may come back to haunt Ley now the spotlight is on her, in what it might reveal about her character, credibility and clear-headed decision-making capabilities. From such woo-woo it’s no big leap to climate denial and anti-vaxxer sentiment. Which is ironic, given Ley was the sensible centrist candidate in the various leadership elections happening in Australia right now. It’s her Coalition partner party, the Nationals, that has a leader campaigning on a “ditch net zero” platform, in Matt Canavan.

My book The Psychic Tests reveals the powerful senior people – from politicians to police – who secretly use mystics to help them make juggernaut decisions that impact the lives of everyday Australians. In it I promise my sister, the voice of the believer, that I’ll put aside my scepticism to visit psychics, mediums – and numerologists – to “see if there’s anything in it”. The numerologists gave me a bunch of ambiguous statements that could’ve applied to anyone (“Barnum statements”), unsuccessfully psychoanalysed my personality, and none of their predictions came true.

This may seem obvious to hardcore sceptics like me. But what consistently struck me was how secular, smart, senior, powerful people will often desert common sense when it comes to mystic beliefs. It’s concerning when that person has the power to grant funding and transform lives. You question how far they’ll be guided by science and reason over conspiracy, pseudoscience and misinformation.

Ley isn’t the only current Australian party leader to indulge paranormal beliefs to guide their life. Psychic Sharina Star revealed to me one of her clients is Pauline Hanson. The One Nation leader has asked her to predict whether she’ll get re-elected, and for advice if she does.

If Ley were to become our prime minister, she wouldn’t be the only world leader to use psychic counsel. It’s a worrying trend to which Western democracies should’ve kissed goodbye with the Reagans.

Ronald Reagan’s every presidential move was dictated by psychic Joan Quigley, who used Ley’s beloved numerology. She was secretly hired by a terrified Nancy Reagan, after an assassination attempt on her husband’s life, to advise on “safe times” for him to leave the White House. Psychic Joan even dictated what time Air Force One could take off. Her influence grew to advising on everything from US military interventions to the president’s national addresses.

Argentinian President Javier Milei at home with his cloned mastiff puppies.Credit: Marcelo Dubini/Caras via The New York Times

Yet current world leaders are still, worryingly, indulging quackery. Current climate-sceptical Argentinian President Javier Milei hires a medium to do sessions with his dogs to inform him on political decisions. He claims his dead dog Conan the Barbarian persuaded him to run for president. If nothing comes through, his sister and campaign manager Karina Milei does a tarot reading to guide him on who to trust.

Hitler had an astrologer privately advising him on his rise to power: Hermann Steinschneider (stage name: Erik Jan Hanussen). He had unprecedented influence over big-name Nazis. But Hanussen’s big secret revealed much about how far any world leader should trust charlatans employing such chicanery. Hanussen’s most sensational dupe was this dangerous secret: he was, in fact, Jewish.

In fairness to Ley, she was young when she changed her name and has said that once she added that extra “s” it became “really hard to take it away”.

There’s also a double standard here. PM Albanese, like many politicians, virtue signals his ethical side by saying he’s a committed Christian who still attends Mass – along with others who believe a slice of bread can turn into the flesh of a man who died 2000 years ago. They worship a virgin who allegedly birthed the son of a sky wizard who grants wishes. And, for some in politics, it’s an essential belief; try getting voted in as US president as a declared atheist.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese with Catholic Archbishop of Sydney Anthony Fisher, at St Mary’s Cathedral.Credit: Alex Ellinghausen

We laugh at one cohort of believers yet revere the other. Both involve belief in utterly unfeasible supernatural miracles. If we question the decision-making abilities of someone who added a mystical extra consonant to their name, or who telepathically consults dead dogs, those claiming God guides them should face similar secular scrutiny.

Gary Nunn is author of The Psychic Tests.

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