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In the aftermath of the 2015 election, a recurring point made by analysts was that the Conservatives lost the election not so much because of policy issues but thanks to their general attitude and demeanour.

It wasn’t just their detractors who said it either.

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“I think our obvious weakness has been in tone, in the way we’ve often communicated our messages,” Jason Kenney said on election night. “I think we need a conservatism that is sunnier and more optimistic than we have sometimes conveyed.”

This shouldn’t have been a surprise to them, either. They were warned.

This perspective was summed up most succinctly back in 2014 by veteran Toronto Star columnist Thomas Walkom.

“What may eventually defeat Harper is that his government appears mean-spirited,” Walkom wrote. “It doesn’t just disagree with its critics. It mercilessly derides them.”

Sound familiar? The federal Liberals under Justin Trudeau better watch themselves because they’re very much moving in this direction.