https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/erin-otoole-culture-war-pandemic-statue...
In short, Goodhart posits that the traditional politics of left and right, liberal and conservative, are now overlaid by a "larger and looser" distinction "between the people who see the world from Anywhere and the people who see it from Somewhere."...
But broadly, it could be argued that both Brexit and Trump were driven by voters who felt uncomfortable with, or even disempowered by, the last 50 years of social and economic change, and who were consequently energized by populist, nationalist campaigns....
Does a meaningful divide along those lines exist in Canada? O'Toole is at least not the first person to suggest it.
He may have been building up to this Somewheres/Anywheres theory for a while. He has argued some Canadians have been "left behind" by the Trudeau government's agenda. He takes issue with those who would like to topple statues of John A. Macdonald and remove the first prime minister's name from buildings. In a speech in October, O'Toole said "middle-class Canadians" had been betrayed by "political elites, financial elites [and] cultural elites."
"These elites have only one set of values centred on unchecked globalization [and] political correctness," O'Toole argued, "while middle-class Canadians have another set rooted in family, home and nation."...
Populism is more usefully defined as an ideology that suggests society can be divided between the 'pure' public and the 'corrupt' elite. It is based in conflict. And O'Toole seems willing to embrace the idea of a fundamental clash between middle-class Canadians and the elites, between the Somewheres and the Anywheres — or at least to accuse the Liberal government of working to make sure there are a lot more Anywheres everywhere....
But O'Toole's hints at a political philosophy only lead to more questions. If there is a fundamental disconnect in Canadian society, how willing is he to exploit it? If there are frustrations or resentments — if many Canadians truly are being left out or left behind — what solutions does he propose?
O'Toole has lamented that wages have stagnated, private sector union membership has dropped and many Canadians no longer have robust pensions or benefits. What would he do to address those things?
O'Toole's Conservatives like to say that Canada has become more divided since Justin Trudeau became prime minister, an argument that rests heavily on the idea of "Western alienation." But would O'Toole's approach produce less division — or would it simply anger a different set of people? Should those whose opinions are more in line with the Anywheres worry that their priorities would be neglected or attacked under an O'Toole government?
(I'll leave my comments to another post because we all know they will likely be longwinded)