This is edition 2025/76 of the Ten@10 newsletter.
Welcome back. It's 2025 and 20 years since I started writing about politics and anything else that took my fancy. Thank to my VIP members for making this site what it is today. In July we will be having a 20th birthday celebration. Stay tuned for more announcements.
This is the Ten@10, where I collate and summarise ten news items you generally won't see in the mainstream media.
Enjoy!
1. Pierre and Peter
Simon O'Connor
- 🗳️ For both Pierre Poilievre and Peter Dutton, initial election expectations turned into spectacular failures, both losing their electorate seats, posing challenges for their parties.
- 💬 Pierre lacked nimbleness to adapt to changing political narratives, especially around US tariffs, whereas Dutton struggled to take clear positions on contentious issues, affecting voter confidence.
- 📜 Neither had inspiring policy platforms, relying on incumbency to maintain voter support amid lacklustre campaigns.
- 🌏 Despite claims of a 'Trump effect', the outcomes were more influenced by domestic issues like economy and healthcare than by US politics.
- 🌍 Laughably, some claim this as a win for social democracy, despite left-wing governments globally contributing to social division and undermining democratic structures.
- 🚫 Opposing progressivism shouldn't equate to being anti-democratic; it's about challenging ideas rather than stifling debate.
- 🔄 Trends in Western democracies show mixed results, reaffirming left-wing policies in Canada and Australia but not universally across Europe.
- 🇨🇦🇦🇺 Voters' choices reflect their desires, even if it means embracing parties with controversial records or policies.
