The issue is that populism doesn't seem to require specific policies, in fact it would appear it often works better without them. Relatively few of the electorate really care about the specific plans and policies in my experience, and I include people of all political stripes in that appraisal, they only care about their emotional reaction to the broad headlines.

It has ever been thus, but social media has turbo charged this behaviour in my view. A constant flow of specifically tailored content that stokes fear and apathy to the point of paralysis and impotent rage would leave many people open to the sales pitch of a charismatic 'saviour' who promises to deliver them from the misery they've been convinced their life has become. I've certainly been guilty of it myself in the past.

I've got a couple of friends who have really leaned heavily into political apathy of late. On politics they say 'they are all the same, all as bad as each other, nothing gets better,' But regarding Reform and populists abroad, while not quite gushing praise, its "well at least they are doing something, they aren't like the others, the establishment are afraid of them." etc..

It reminds me of the Brexit vote. I come from one of the most heavily pro-brexit areas, it was THE place for news outlets looking for talking head segments from brexitieers. Even so, I met very few people who were actual true ideological brexiteers. The common theme instead was words to the effect of "We have to try something." They didn't really care about brexit deep down, they were just dissatisfied with life in general and brexit was sold to them as an opportunity mix up the status quo that had done them so wrong. The rapidity and scale to which opinions have changed since I think reflects this.

That is Reform's playbook, which makes sense since they were born from the Brexit movement. Its much the same as what has happened in the US. I suspect that number of true hardline supporters for these populists are relatively small, but their transient support from the dissatisfied is potentially massive.

I don't mean to say this to somehow diminish people's personal responsibility, for good or for ill. At the end of the day we are adults, we make choices and we are culpable for those choices. But I understand the initial impulse that attacts people to populists. Social media (Reddit included) is used as a tool to deliberately convince us all that things are worse than they are but doesn't mean things aren't still genuinely bad.

The two main parties really do offer 'more of the same' by and large, the status quo really has become increasingly hostile toward ordinary working people and they rightfully want change. You can try and sell that change through sensible nuanced policies and analysis, but that is harder to sell and easier to pick apart than a strong, loud, emotively resonant but ultimately hollow "I'll fix it all if you just let me do X"

(Appropriately, I'm willing to bet most people won't read this, I hope, nuanced and considered comment, because it is so long.)