Craft Politics28 Loka 2025

The Dumbest $75M Ad Ever? Or Genius Strategy?

From the UK’s disastrous week under Labour to a major trade gaffe (or not?) in Canada, and Doug Ford’s surprising turn as global spokesman for tariffs and Reaganomics — we unpack a week of political faceplants, media spin, and near perfect lipstick jobs.⸻🧨 1. A Week in the Life of a Labour PMOne tweet said it all.Six political scandals. One week. And a mounting sense that Keir Starmer’s government is spiralling: • Botched handling of the Maccabi fan ban • Immigration failures (again) • Rape gang inquiry collapses • Labour loses its own seat in Wales • Starmer caught in a China fib • An Epping sex offender goes AWOLWe ask: Is this just governing as usual? Or has Labour lost the plot just one year into its mandate?“This feels like third-term fatigue… but it’s only year one.”⸻🗳 2. Labour Gets Wrecked in WalesA shock by-election in Caerphilly saw Labour collapse to 11%.Plaid Cymru won, Reform surged to second — and Farage is claiming “main challenger” status.We break down: • What the Welsh result tells us about progressive alliances • Whether Reform has a hard ceiling • And why Labour MPs are already talking like they’ve lost“They’ve only got the cards they’ve got — and we’ve seen what’s in that deck.”⸻🇨🇦 3. Ontario’s World Series Ad Bombs Trade TalksPremier Doug Ford ran a $75M ad campaign during the World Series — using Ronald Reagan’s words to shame Trump’s tariffs.Trump responded by escalating tariffs. Negotiations collapsed. The Reagan Foundation called it misinformation.We debate: • Was this political genius… or tactical self-sabotage? • Who was the ad really for — Trump or Ontarians? • And did Mark Carney know it was coming?“It smells like genius… but I’m not smart enough to understand why.”⸻💄 Lipstick on a Gerbil: Doug Ford Defends the AdIn our favourite comms segment, we rate Ford’s CNN appearance defending the ad.Was he playing 4D chess, or just trying to out-Trump Trump?Our verdict:🧴🧴🧴 Three coats — Warm, confident, and weirdly likeable.⸻📩 Subscribe or listen at craftpolitics.fm🎧 Available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube & Substack

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