From Brexit to Alberta: How The Fringe Goes Mainstream

About this episode

Rhys Waters discusses the implications of fringe movements becoming mainstream, drawing parallels between Brexit and Alberta separatism.

When Jesse falls ill, Rhys steps in for a rare solo episode to issue a warning from lived experience. Drawing on his time in Wales during the 2016 Brexit referendum, Rhys explains how a seemingly fringe, “loonies and fruitcakes” movement blindsided the UK establishment, and what that means for rising Alberta separatism today. He connects the dots between economic inequality, media-fueled resentment, online misinformation, and the search for a charismatic leader, arguing that dismissing separatists as a joke is exactly how they can win. Rhys makes the case that the only real antidote is better governance: tackling affordability, opportunity, healthcare, and education so that Canada stays an awesome place to live and separatism remains on the fringe. For premium content, socials, merch, to leave a voicemail or message us go to canadaisboring.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

People in this episode

Host: Jesse Harley

Guest: Rhys Waters

Topics covered

• Brexit
• separatism
• economic inequality
• media influence
• governance
• online misinformation

Keywords

• Brexit
• Alberta separatism
• economic inequality
• media resentment
• online misinformation
• governance
• healthcare
• education

Mentioned in this episode

Places: Wales, Alberta, Canada

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