About this episode

The episode explores the dynamics of political conflict among conservatives in Calgary, focusing on Jeromy Farkas's confrontations and responses to his opponents.

What happens when conservatives pick a fight with someone who knows exactly how to fight back? This week on Balance of Power , Annalise Klingbeil and Shannon Phillips dig into Calgary’s Stampede noise war, Jeromy Farkas’s escalating feud with Danielle Smith and Pierre Poilievre, and what happens when conservative messaging gets turned back on the people who invented it. First: the fun police. Why did federal and provincial Conservatives decide to go to war over Cowboys, noise bylaws, and late-night Stampede parties? And did they badly misread both Calgary and the mayor they were attacking? Then: the punch back. Farkas names the antagonist, speaks plainly, moves quickly, and refuses to retreat into process language. Annalise and Shannon break down why his response worked, what the left could learn from it, and why there may be more room to oppose Danielle Smith than many politicians seem to think. Plus, for Patreon subscribers: Annalise and Shannon debate the Governor General’s clothing allowance, the gendered expectations placed on women in public life, and whether politicians should get help paying for the uniforms their jobs demand. Producer Haxim joins the conversation to…

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