Power puts on a fresher face

Catherine Fieschi asks if the new kids on the block are a force for good

The World Today Updated 8 February 2021 3 minute READ

Catherine Fieschi

Director, Counterpoint

Maybe this is what happened to dinosaurs: elections were held, and it was decided that any beast around for more than 65 million years had to go. Our political landscapes haven’t been hit by an asteroid, but they seem to have been rather abruptly cleared of politicians of a certain age: Justin Trudeau came first, ushering in an era of youthful politics − though by now, he is in danger of coming across as ‘seasoned’ given his grand old age of 45; France’s Emmanuel Macron and Ireland’s Leo Varadkar are both just the smug side of 40, and Austria’s Sebastian Kurz beats them all at 31.

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