Seven ways to launch a liberal fightback as Donald Trump reveals perils of populism

Liberals on the political right and left need to find a new way of doing politics to defeat populism

Shortly after his inauguration, Donald Trump warned he might impose tariffs on Russia over the Ukraine War – a welcome move for those hoping the leader of the free world would seek to defend democracy against Putin’s tyranny.

But now he’s threatening Canada with swingeing tariffs, apparently over a “flood of poisonous drugs” across the border into the US. As a casus belli, even for a trade war, it’s almost as fake as the false flag operations staged by past dictators seeking an excuse for conquest.

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Canada’s outgoing Prime Minister Justin Trudeau reasonably pointed out that less than one per cent of the fentanyl – one of the main drugs Trump has complained about – going into the US comes from his country. But no matter, despite a month’s delay after last-minute talks, Trump still plans to impose 25 per cent tariffs on most Canadian exports to the US.

If every democracy adopts a Donald Trump-style 'my country first' approach, international conflict of some kind is almost inevitable (Picture: Chip Somodevilla)If every democracy adopts a Donald Trump-style 'my country first' approach, international conflict of some kind is almost inevitable (Picture: Chip Somodevilla)
If every democracy adopts a Donald Trump-style 'my country first' approach, international conflict of some kind is almost inevitable (Picture: Chip Somodevilla) | Getty Images

‘Our Cherished 51st State’

Those who suspect Trump’s agenda is bigger than border security can point to his own repeated remarks about annexing Canada. In his latest, he falsely claimed on social media that the US pays "hundreds of billions of dollars" to subsidise Canada and that "without this massive subsidy, Canada ceases to exist as a viable country".

"Canada should become our Cherished 51st State. Much lower taxes, and far better military protection for the people of Canada – AND NO TARIFFS!" he explained. In 2022, Putin decided Russia should take Ukraine by military force; is the wheeler-dealer Trump really trying to take Canada by economic force?

Everyone initially thought Trump was just joking about Canada, but as the US national anthem is booed by Canadians at sporting contests, tensions are rising. After all, if Trump imposes the planned tariffs, it could tip Canada’s economy into a recession.

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This is what it means to have a populist in charge of the world’s most powerful country; it also offers a glimpse of a potential future for the UK and other countries.

Wind in populism’s sails

National Rally, formerly the National Front, in France, the far-right AfD party in Germany, and Nigel Farage’s Reform UK all have the wind in their sails and take a similar ‘my country first’ approach. If they all came to power, it would almost inevitably lead to conflict – from diplomatic spats to trade wars or worse – as their interests collide, at a time when the West needs to be strong.

So the question for liberals – in the broadest sense, from centre-right to centre-left – is: how can they be stopped? Keir Starmer’s Labour government is pretty much as ‘liberal’ as John Major’s or Theresa May’s. They may have a different attitude towards taxation and spending, but they still share the central tenets of liberal democracy.

Unless the country’s economic fortunes start to pick up, it’s easy to see Labour’s dramatic slide in the opinion polls continuing, with Reform arguably better placed to benefit than the Conservatives, as Trump-ally Farage can appeal to people on the left and the right. And the Tories’ response to the rise of populism, most regrettably, seems to be to shift towards it.

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In search of a liberal champion

So the first thing that both Scotland and the UK need is a charismatic liberal champion, basically a political version of ex-Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp. Don’t think that’s possible? Well, one of Klopp’s first pronouncements was that he wanted to turn Liverpool fans “from doubters to believers”.

Unlike Starmer, Klopp oozed positivity from the start. After a late goal secured a 2-2 draw with West Brom, Klopp took his players to celebrate in front of their fans. Lauding a draw? It was ridiculed at the time but you can hear the fans respond and, according to website This Is Anfield, it turned out to be a “catalyst for greatness”, with Klopp later taking the club to league and European titles.

Leadership really matters, and this prompts the second point: stop following public opinion. Ignore opinion polls and focus groups. Look into issues with seriousness and depth, set out your position and then argue the case for it.

Election ‘experts’ may mock this as naive, but those same experts have almost no answer to the electoral success of populism. Leaders who follow their followers end up going round in circles, achieving little.

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Make gaffes, speak from the heart

Third, stop being afraid to make gaffes. Throw away the script, stop acting like a robot and talk like a human being. Populists make gaffes all the time, but this can make them seem like honest ‘straight-talkers’ in contrast to slippery mainstream politicians.

Fourth, stop treating people like fools and make an unshowy, homespun, philosophical case for what you believe in: party political broadcasts with one person sitting behind a desk or, like John Major, on a soapbox in the street. Speak from the heart, say something meaningful.

Fifth, on occasion, find a way to praise your political opponents when they deserve it. Relentless criticism eventually starts to feel fake.

Sixth, when in government, tackle waste and inefficiency. Scrap as many quangos and oversight bodies as possible and make government departments responsible instead. There are far too many ‘arms-length' institutions, the result of a prevailing attitude that they are better when semi-detached from government because of a loss of faith in democracy.

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This is far too expensive at a time when government needs to be supremely efficient to ensure as much public money as possible is available for frontline services and economic development. The failure of liberal democracies to deliver a better quality of life is the main reason why people are turning to populism.

New political faultlines

Finally, liberals must recognise that long-established party lines are not as important as they once were and fight populism with all their might.

There may be other ways to stop wannabe Trumps spreading his hideous mindset, aggressive, bullyboy tactics and brainless economics across the democratic world but, make no mistake, this is one of the great struggles of our time. If the West fights itself, Putin and China’s Xi Jinping will only get stronger.

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