, Columnist
The Right-Wing Populist Playbook Keeps Winning
Australia’s shock election result is one more sign 2016 was no fluke.
Australia’s surprise winner.
Photographer: Brook Mitchell/Getty Images AsiaPacThis article is for subscribers only.
If you enjoyed the right-wing populist surge that led to President Donald Trump and Brexit, then have we got good news for you: It’s still going strong.
It even got a new electoral shocker to its credit this weekend, when conservative Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison won re-election after basically zero polls suggested that was a possibility. David Fickling and Dan Moss note the result echoes those aforementioned 2016 surprises in the U.S. and U.K., in that wealthy, liberal cities are growing more alienated from economically struggling rural areas.