When we last had Ginny Roth on the show, everyone assumed Pierre Poilievre would be Canada’s next Prime Minister. Much has changed in seven months. This week, we ask Ginny:🔄 Rebuilding the narrative: What should Poilievre say (and not say) in Question Period to shift the political terrain?💸 Cost of living, crime, and immigration: Ginny argues that these remain the three most potent issues for Conservatives—and where Carney is most vulnerable.🧠 Tone, authenticity & voter math: Is it a “likeability” problem—or a coalition problem? Ginny breaks down what the real issue is.🧨 The TFW announcement: Why Poilievre’s stance on temporary foreign workers matters more than it looks.⚖️ Keeping the base AND growing the tent: Can the Conservatives do what no other right-of-centre party has managed in the West—hold both the traditional right and new right together?Poilievre faces a leadership review vote in Calgary this January. We ask:Is there a credible alternative if he stumbles?And what issues should the Conservatives own to change the math before 2026?🎧 This is a must-listen episode for political observers looking to understand the next phase of Conservative strategy, and the dynamics reshaping Canadian politics.🎙 Featuring:Joseph LavoieAndrew PercySpecial Guest: Ginny Roth🧠 Key insights from Ginny Roth:“No one cares if you say ‘I told you so.’”“Poilievre’s real risk isn’t likability—it’s losing the disaffected voters he brought into the tent last time.”“The federal NDP and Western NDP are essentially two different parties.”
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29:42
The Great Shuffle: When Resets Don’t Reset
Plus: Canada’s economic blues, France’s fourth PM in four years, and Farage dodges a lipstick.Joseph, Andrew, and Holly return with another Issue Scan—three stories, three jurisdictions, and one increasingly depressing outlook on the Western political economy. But don’t worry, we offset the doom with solid banter, questionable French pronunciation, and beer reviews.🧭 Here’s what’s inside this week’s scan:🇬🇧 UK: The Reshuffle That Changes NothingAngela Rayner is out as Deputy PM. David Lammy is in. Yvette Cooper moves to Foreign Secretary. And still, Starmer’s government looks… wobbly.🤔 Does reshuffling help when the fundamentals remain unchanged?🎯 Are Labour’s backbenchers already preparing for war?🧨 Holly and Andrew reflect on just how hard it is to govern—even when the adults are in charge.🇨🇦 Canada: The Economic Squeeze TightensThe latest numbers are grim:GDP down 1.6%Unemployment at 7.1% (highest since 2016)Youth unemployment? A staggering 14.5%Export plunge led by a 25% drop in passenger vehicle sales💸 Prime Minister Carney tries to counter with $5B in tariff relief and a freeze on EV mandates—but will any of it matter if affordability keeps getting worse?🇫🇷 France: Chaos, AgainThe curse of Craft Politics strikes again. Since last week’s episode:The French government collapsed.Macron appointed Sébastien Lecornu as the new Prime Minister.That makes four PMs in four years.🔁 But with populists on both flanks and public debt ballooning, we ask:Can France actually govern itself out of this mess?What happens when the #2 economy in the Eurozone teeters on instability?“You can change the nurse, but the medicine stays the same.”🐹 Lipstick on a GerbilThis week’s contender: Nigel Farage, dodging questions about a town mayor’s 600% pay raise.Does he spin? Deflect? Or just do Farage things?🍺 Beer NotesJoseph: Burdock Helles Lager (Crisp. Clear. Happy-making.)Holly: M&S-bought Vocation IPA (She brought a glass!)Percy: Buxton Axe Edge IPA (Fine. Not his favourite. Would still take sponsorship.)
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39:31
Is the attention economy killing democracy?
With Andrew MacDougall, former Director of Communications to Prime Minister Stephen HarperThis week, we’re joined by Andrew MacDougall, a fellow Harper PMO alum and one of the sharpest communications minds in the business. His latest paper for the Macdonald-Laurier Institute makes a bold case: that the attention economy, powered by Big Tech platforms, is actively undermining Western democracy—and that we’re letting it happen.In this episode:📱 What is the attention economy—and why it’s designed to addict, distract, and divide🧠 Why today’s tech platforms are built to exploit your brain’s dopamine pathways💥 Free speech vs. free reach: why more speech doesn’t mean better speech🗞 How the collapse of traditional media business models is breaking political accountability🗳 Why politicians like Trump and Farage thrive—and leaders like Harper and Starmer struggle—in today’s media environmentAlso in this episode:🧃 “The vegetable is the news, the dessert is content—and nobody’s eating their vegetables”🧨 Why platforms like YouTube and TikTok aren’t neutral—they actively reward the worst takes🤳 Why even good communicators struggle to compete with rage bait and algorithmic triggers📊 What happens when every push notification must compete with Kim Kardashian, a war in Ukraine, and your local school boardAnd don’t miss:🧾 Andrew’s proposal for an engagement-based tax to discourage addictive platform design📉 How banning smartphones for kids—and showing users their “attention cost”—could help🔌 What would happen if we unplugged the internet for just a month (hint: less Trump, more sanity)Plus:😬 Percy tries to warn us about AI-generated ‘80s nostalgia reels📵 Joseph tries not to check his phone for a full 45 minutes (he fails)💡 A very serious policy discussion… followed by a confession that we’re all still putting the clips on TikTok
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43:04
We’re back with a new season, a new co-host, and a government in crisis
It’s back-to-school, back-to-politics, and back to your feeds with Season Two of Craft Politics — now with a brand new format and a new co-host.We’re thrilled to welcome Holly Mumby-Croft, former UK Member of Parliament, to the pod. She’ll join Percy and I each week for our Tuesday Issue Scan episode, adding deep political insight and a healthy counter-weight to Percy...In this episode:🇬🇧 Labour’s economic mess: Starmer sidelines Reeves, reshuffles advisors, and still can’t land the message📉 Reform UK leads the polls—now ahead of Labour and the Conservatives combined🏴 National flag protests, economic confusion, and the risk of a populist summer boil-over🇨🇦 Canada’s Trump problem continues: no deal, no clarity, and no end in sight📊 Carney’s super honeymoon: how long can he ride high on sky-high approval ratings?🇫🇷 Why France’s looming debt crisis could become everyone’s problem💸 What happens when both the left and the right promise unsustainable spending?🚨 A special new segment: “Lipstick on a Gerbil” — where we rate the worst political comms moments of the week. This week we look at Angela Rayner’s stamp duty dodge and Stephen Kinnock’s weasel-worded defenceAnd of course:🍺 Joseph and Percy drink one of BC’s finest Pilsners🍷 Holly sips Ribena
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45:52
Trade Turbulence, Tariff Fatigue, and Our Last Pint Before Summer
Our cheeky half before we break for AugustIt’s our final episode before a short summer break—and we’re closing it out with a cheeky half pint and a big-picture scan of the trade and political chaos unfolding across Canada, the US, and the UK.In this episode:🇨🇦 Carney concedes “tariff-free” deal with Trump is unlikely • What the PM’s first public walk-back says about expectations management • Does accepting some tariffs help or hurt Canada’s leverage? • And what is a “win” supposed to look like?🇺🇸 US inflation hits 2.7% as tariffs bite • Will Trump’s economic strategy come back to haunt him before the holidays? • Why tariffs are a slow burn—but a real one • And how Trump’s goldfish memory makes planning impossible📉 White House calls for interest rate cuts while raising consumer prices? • We discuss the economic contradiction—and why it’s eroding confidenceAlso in this episode:📊 The super honeymoon continues: Carney approval hits 58%, Liberals lead by 13🧠 What the Conservatives need to ask themselves about the Poilievre playbook🔄 Can Carney hold his coalition together if Trump fades as the ballot question?🚫 NDP leadership race kicks off—with a $100,000 entry fee. Is that populist?Across the pond:🇬🇧 Labour faces a new challenge—from the left • A hard-left breakaway party is forming. Could it fracture Labour’s already unstable coalition? • Why UK politics remains a mess—despite a massive Labour majority • And why the Conservative Party still doesn’t know what it stands forWe close with:🍺 Tasting notes from our final craft beer of the season🤦 Percy gets mistaken for a 30-year-old’s father🔥 And a conversation about political anger, violent rhetoric, and the lines we should never cross🔊 Listen now to wrap your week—and the political season—with insight, irreverence, and a few sips of lemon meringue beer.
The best political chats don’t happen in boardrooms, and they rarely show up in briefing notes. They happen in pubs — over a pint or three. Or, right here on Craft Politics. With craft beer on the table and stories from decades in politics across the UK and Canada, Andrew Percy and Joseph Lavoie take you behind the headlines to show you how politics really works — and why it matters to you. Candid, witty, sometimes inappropriate, it’s a reminder that politics doesn’t have to be boring or polarizing.
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