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That doesn't make me a LiberalYour 'based' Instagram reel isn't helping us form governmentLast updated Jul 09, 2026 You can save this article by registering for free here. Or sign-in if you have an account.Final preparations were underway at the BMO Centre in Calgary on Thursday, January 29, 2026 as the 2026 Conservative Party of Canada convention was set to start. Gavin Young/PostmediaI am sick to death of being told that wanting Conservatives to win elections somehow makes me a Liberal. It’s one of the stupidest ideas ever to infect the Canadian political right (and there have been some doozies in recent years), and it has become an excuse for failure.Enjoy the latest local, national and international news.Exclusive articles by Conrad Black, Barbara Kay and others. Plus, special edition NP Platformed and First Reading newsletters and virtual events.Unlimited online access to National Post.National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword.Support local journalism.Enjoy the latest local, national and international news.Exclusive articles by Conrad Black, Barbara Kay and others. Plus, special edition NP Platformed and First Reading newsletters and virtual events.Unlimited online access to National Post.National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword.Support local journalism.Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Access articles from across Canada with one account.Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments.Enjoy additional articles per month.Get email updates from your favourite authors.Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Access articles from across Canada with one accountShare your thoughts and join the conversation in the commentsEnjoy additional articles per monthGet email updates from your favourite authorsSign In or Create an AccountorApparently, if you care whether Conservatives can actually form government, you’re a “Fake Conservative.” If you think candidates should avoid obvious own goals, you’re a sellout. If you think messaging matters, you’re weak. If you suggest that screaming into the void isn’t a political strategy, you’re accused of wanting Liberal-lite.Spare me.The National Post newsletter that doesn’t hold back, giving readers the unvarnished truth on media, politics and culture.By signing up, you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc.A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder.The next issue of Right? will soon be in your inbox.We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try againI haven’t spent years arguing for the end of mass immigration, stronger borders, tougher criminal sentencing, Conservative state power, free speech, institutional reform and a restoration of Canadian identity because I secretly want to become a Liberal.I want those things because I believe them. The difference between me and some people on the online right is that I actually want them implemented.That requires winning.Somewhere along the line, a segment of the conservative movement stopped caring about victory and started treating politics like an ever increasingly exclusive ideological club. They don’t measure success by how much of their agenda becomes law. They measure success by how many people on X tell them they were “based.”It is juvenile and unserious, and it is one of the biggest reasons conservatives lose elections they should be winning.Believe it or not, politics isn’t about racking up likes and retweets. It’s about taking power away from people who are fundamentally changing your country in ways you don’t like, and using that power to fundamentally change your country in ways that you do.Every election Conservatives lose means another government that expands the bureaucracy, entrenches activist institutions, appoints ideologically captured judges, shapes the public service, influences schools, spends billions of dollars and changes the country in ways that are often difficult to reverse. While that’s happening, the professional losers on our side are congratulating themselves because their latest Instagram reel, TikTok video or tweet “did numbers” online.What an achievement!Some conservatives have become so addicted to performative outrage that they genuinely cannot distinguish between courage and stupidity. They think exercising self-control is a sign of weakness, any semblance of message discipline is ideological surrender, and that every unforced error is “telling the truth.”No.Sometimes it’s just an unforced error.The left wins because it understands something parts of the right stubbornly and brazenly refuses to accept: politics is about acquiring power and using it.The Canadian right, meanwhile, has cultivated an entire class of commentators and activists who seem almost offended by the idea of broad public appeal. They sneer at persuasion, they mock professionalism, and they dismiss anyone who accurately describes the state of play as insufficiently conservative.These people have developed a worldview in which every defeat is proof they were too moderate.Lose once? Not conservative enough.Lose twice? Still not conservative enough.Lose for twenty years? Double down.It’s political insanity. The best part? They hardly ever describe what “real conservatism” actually means substantively, or they sound like Marxists “real conservatism has never been tried.” They’re hardly even ideological in any case, it’s a stylistic preference for petulance.No serious military commander fights a battle by deliberately alienating potential allies.No serious business grows by insulting prospective customers.No serious lawyer walks into court determined to antagonize the judge.Only in parts of conservative politics has self-sabotage been elevated into a virtue.That’s what really infuriates me. The people most eager to lecture everyone else about ideological purity almost never have to carry the burden of governing (or even campaigning for that matter). They don’t have to balance competing priorities. They don’t have to persuade skeptical voters. They don’t have to build coalitions large enough to change the law.They just throw rocks from the sidelines and then explain why everyone else lost.I’m done listening.I don’t want conservative politicians who sound like Liberals. I want conservative politicians who govern like conservatives.There is a world of difference between the two.I want immigration reduced dramatically. I want activist capture rooted out of public institutions. I want criminals punished instead of endlessly recycled through the justice system. I want a government that unapologetically advances Canada’s national interest.None of that happens because a handful of activists thought your latest social media post was a banger.It happens because you win.If your political strategy ends with another Liberal government, I don’t want to hear another lecture about principle.Conservatism can either be a real movement that regularly competes for government, or it can be a hobby for weirdos and cranks that normal people find repulsive. It can’t be both.Anthony Koch is the managing principal at AK Strategies, a bilingual public affairs firm specializing in political communications, public affairs and campaign strategy. Join the Conversation This website uses cookies to personalize your content (including ads), and allows us to analyze our traffic. Read more about cookies here. By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.