In an earlier article I wrote about the similarities between Jacindamania and the hoopla that has gathered around other Centre-Left leaders of the last few decades – This Never Gets Old.

One of the more recent ones is Justin Trudeau of Canada, and his case the similarities with Jacinda are greater than with any other on that list, and have been noted so for some time by political observers.

So you do have to wonder at the short-term future of Jacinda and her government when you observe Justin’s likely downfall in a few months time at the hands of voters, if not prosecuters.

This article in the US edition of the Spectator lays it all out and what it amounts to is actually not very much compared to most such “corruption”, and especially compared to the shitstorm happening South of the border.

‘Is it all just because Justin forgot to say “please” when asking his attorney-general for a deferred prosecution agreement?’

No and yes — and that is also what makes this scandal so uniquely Canadian…

… Trudeau’s alleged ethical breaches really do seem ludicrously ‘meh’

But it was the following two comments that struck me. First up, Trudeau as politician:

Before Trudeau went into politics at 35, he spent much of his working life floundering. He tried and quit acting, engineering, teaching and being a ski bum before coming to public attention delivering the eulogy at the funeral for his father, the former prime minister Pierre Trudeau.

Perhaps such leaders and their backgrounds are just a phase we’re going through. Which brings me to the second quote, about Trudeau as Prime Minister and leader:

Trudeau’s ethical conundrum highlights the vulnerability of leaders who win on platforms of inspiration, positivity and change. The high road is a smooth path to the top, but once you arrive there’s an inherent problem: how to get stuff done?

Whether it’s the USA, Britain, Canada, Australia, or New Zealand – basically the West in general – this seems to be a common problem. I’d hate to think it’s the way of the future, but given our lightweight, Reality TV approach to many things combined with the dead weight of so many Centre-Left institutions that can be barely changed, let alone added to, perhaps it is!