The thing is, Poilievre is actually a really good politician imo. Easily one of the best ‘New Right’ communicators. But he made one absolutely fatal mistake: getting too close to Trump. Sucked in by the online energy for him among his base. Many such cases! - ThreadSky

steveakehurst.bsky.social • 2 days ago

The thing is, Poilievre is actually a really good politician imo. Easily one of the best ‘New Right’ communicators.

But he made one absolutely fatal mistake: getting too close to Trump. Sucked in by the online energy for him among his base.

Many such cases!

Reposted from Jessica Elgot

God there were so many of these…

Comments

etotheipiadd1.bsky.social•2 days ago

Presumably ignoring Trump, before the last election, the main thing Tories could have learnt from Poilievre, was to not be the incumbents during global turmoil, but they were.

dockellis10.bsky.social•2 days ago

ETTD

philmoura.bsky.social•2 days ago

He was too slow to spot the changing landscape, too slow to adapt, and he might lose his own seat. Are these really the hallmarks of a good politician?

johnandrewmullen.bsky.social•2 days ago

They are not.

jontia.bsky.social•2 days ago

It's not as if the difference is massive. Maybe from the early projections it's really bad. But the result is still 44-41. I find that terrifying.

steveakehurst.bsky.social•2 days ago

He was 20 points up in December to be fair! And coming off the back of a long term incumbent govt plagued by all the usual stuff. He should be walking it!

johnahob.bsky.social•2 days ago

Trump association doesn't seem to be cutting through so much with Farage. Reform poll results have increased during the 100 days.

We will soon learn how much of the polling is just plague on both your houses by people who will sit it out on Friday.

drpaulitious.bsky.social•2 days ago

Local elections here though. And the Farage party has not been "We're mates with Trump," but "Immigration." Which is worrying, because all the councillors they get will have zero practical responsibility for immigration policy. And they will be less competent than councillors they replace.

johnahob.bsky.social•2 days ago

The internet never forgets!

steveakehurst.bsky.social•2 days ago

It’s a genuine weakness for them with swing voters IMO (see the research I put out yesterday with Reform curious Lab voters!). They’re up partly just out of general anti incumbency, but I do think it could cost them in the end

theglassisempty.bsky.social•2 days ago

“But” 😂

sweetbirdoftruth.bsky.social•2 days ago

The Canadian Conservatives have been out of office for 3 terms. Incumbents have been losing all over the world.
Polievre

tabouchadi.bsky.social•2 days ago

The Farage trap of "good communicator". Maybe it's just easier to communicate populism, nativism and other essential parts of new right ideology. We should not give out the label "good politician" independent of the content of what they are actually saying and doing.

steveakehurst.bsky.social•2 days ago

I agree these kind of guys operate on easy mode to a degree, but - purely on a technical level - he did also get himself 25 points up, and had an appeal beyond a core. I think not totally unreasonable to say he was effective as a campaigner despite finding him v objectionable.

tabouchadi.bsky.social•2 days ago

The point is that you cannot identify a purely technical level because it is not independent of the objectionable ideology. It‘s also not independent of the political and media environment people operate in.

johnandrewmullen.bsky.social•2 days ago

I’m not sure this is right. More that Trudeau was REALLY unpopular by the end. A less divisive and toxic right winger would now be Canada’s leader.

johnandrewmullen.bsky.social•2 days ago

I mean, Canada’s political culture is so different to MAGAism.

steevo57.bsky.social•2 days ago

I know that we are only 100 days in 🙈 but this may arguably be Trump’s greatest achievement by the time he’s out of office/ in jail (El Salvador?).

t0nyyates.bsky.social•2 days ago

Isn't that excusable - in that he could not have predicted Trump would turn so explicitly on Canada. If Trump hadn't started the 51st state thing even closeness to Trump might not have been a decisive problem for him. A question - I'm a pure amateur on this topic.

steveakehurst.bsky.social•2 days ago

Yes some people have responded to this saying “well he’s not good then”. But I agree with you in so far as you can see how he made the mistake and why he could ride the Trump wave. It’s just, well, funny that it was so fatal.

cosmoiselle.bsky.social•2 days ago

I suppose the '51st state' stuff pushed voters over the edge, but would the tariffs, alone, also have done that?

deargodwhatnow.bsky.social•2 days ago

Eh I don't think 'Canadians like being Canadian' was that hard to predict!

t0nyyates.bsky.social•2 days ago

What was hard to predict was that Trump was going to pose any threat to that. [I tried to explain that in my first question].

jimob1.bsky.social•2 days ago

Australia going similar way. Was fearful the next pope would be more conservative but now hopeful he will be from progressive wing.

garethbate.bsky.social•2 days ago

He was effective at riling people up in the same way Trump does and in stoking anti-immigrant sentiment, even among immigrants. But he’s deeply annoying and frankly a loser. And portraying Canada as a wasteland is ridiculous. But unlike Ford who jumped off the Trump wagon just in time, PP didn’t.

richardmoon.bsky.social•2 days ago

The most active element of the party - the base - is hard right, even extreme. It will continue to dominate candidate nomination meetings, and leadership races. A more moderate Conservative leader would have won a clear majority.

mattoslo.bsky.social•2 days ago

Unless we all take the Tucker Carlson/Fox News antidote, Trump is poison.

willthong.com•2 days ago

Gee I wonder if this could have any lessons for overly online Conservative politicians in this country!

brucealexb.bsky.social•2 days ago

Similar phenomenon playing out in Australia’s election. Our conservative leader (Dutton) is divisive figure. But he has been effective as leader of the opposition. He and his party sought to ride a Trump wave into office, but its left them high and dry, and his inherent weaknesses have been exposed.

gordonshorten.bsky.social•2 days ago

His tag line of "Canada first" was just seen as MAGA lite version of Trump's "America first". It alienated people who would have voted Conservative just 5 months ago. I agree he is a capable politician, but he got this wrong.

kylenelson17.bsky.social•2 days ago

If he were a really good politician he wouldn’t have blown that giant lead. He was a dog that caught his tail and didn’t understand how to pivot.

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