What's really driving the rise of Pauline Hanson, Nigel Farage, and the global populist wave?

Internationally renowned political strategist Isaac Levido joins the Menzies Research Centre's David Hughes to break down why voters across Australia, the UK, and the US are abandoning traditional parties in droves.

From masterminding the 2019 Conservative and Liberal Party election wins, to working inside Downing Street, Isaac brings rare, frontline insight to the biggest political question of our time: why are voters so angry, and is anyone listening?

We cover:

• Why the social contract between citizens and government has broken down
• The tech revolution that's making government look worse by comparison
• Why "small target" election strategies are backfiring on the ALP and Starmer's Labour
• What Pauline Hanson and Nigel Farage actually have in common
• How businesses can protect themselves in an era of voter rage and regulatory risk

"Voters aren't stupid. They're doing everything right — working hard, paying their taxes — and they just can't get ahead."

If you want to understand where Western democracy is heading, this is the conversation to watch.

This podcast was recorded at a Menzies Research Centre event in May 2026.

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Timestamps:

00:00 – Global populism trends and data

02:11 – Introducing Isaac Levido

03:03 – From Regional NSW to the halls of power

06:46 – Why British conservatives keep hiring Australians

10:25 – Can a great campaigner also govern? Lessons from Downing Street

13:09 - How governments should build & spend political capital

15:50 - The "Small Target" trap: how Labor & Starmer won the wrong way

18:34 - Why u-turning politicians are destroying voter trust

23:01 – The establishment has misread voters for decades

26:32 – The tech divergence: why government looks worse by comparison

30:58 - Pauline Hanson vs. Nigel Farage: leaders or movements?

36:36 – What UK business really thinks about a Farage Government

40:41 – Was post-war stability the historical anomaly?

43:50 – How businesses misread their own customers and what to do about it

48:53 – Why companies should stay out of culture wars

52:20 – Closing remarks & will Isaac return to Australia?