Mark Carney just pulled off the greatest career con in history.
Elite connections and self-promotion landed him trophy jobs.
But British media warned for YEARS that he doesn't deliver results.
A warning from our commonwealth friends that Canada should listen to:
His resume looks impressive:
• Governor of Bank of Canada
• Governor of Bank of England
• UN Climate Change Envoy
• Chair of Brookfield Asset Management
The perfect CV for running a country. But there's something the British press spotted right away that we missed...
Both left and right-wing British media described Carney the same way:
"The epitome of a remote, globalized, technocratic elite. Very good at self-promotion, at collecting trophy jobs, and negotiating generous salaries for himself."
But they noticed something else too:
"He is just not very good at delivering."
That's not from some far-right outlet.
That's from mainstream British newspapers who watched him work for nearly 7 years.
And while Canadian media celebrated his appointment, the Brits saw something entirely different...
The Guardian's economics editor called Carney intellectually confident but lacking substance.
"His answers to questions often went on for several minutes, making them pretty much unquotable."
In a 30-minute interview, he realized Carney "had said nothing that would remotely make a news story."
The Daily Telegraph was even more blunt:
"Over eight years at the Bank of England, Carney was at best an indifferent governor, and, at worse, a disappointing failure."
This despite earning over £600,000 a year – far more than any of his predecessors.
Here's where it gets interesting:
The City of London nicknamed him "the unreliable boyfriend" for his constant changes of direction on interest rates.
His policies led to UK inflation hitting 11.1% – much higher than France (5.2%) or Italy (8%).
The blame? The Bank "had printed too much money."
Sound familiar?
But the most damning critique wasn't about his economic decisions.
It was about his character.
British journalists "caught glimpses of his volcanic temper" and bank staff "were wary of getting on the wrong side of him."
"He was respected but not especially liked."
We've already seen flashes of this temper in Canada.
When CBC's Rosemary Barton questioned his blind trust arrangements, Carney snapped:
"Look inside yourself. You start from a prior of conflict and ill will."
This from our new PM when faced with basic journalistic questions.
After leaving the Bank of England, Carney's Climate Alliance began falling apart.
Major banks like JP Morgan, Goldman Sachs, and Citibank pulled out.
The Financial Times described it as "unravelling."
Yet another impressive title with lackluster results.
Here's what makes Carney's rise so fascinating:
Despite consistently underwhelming performance, his career kept advancing.
He mastered the art of failing upward.
Each prestigious title became a stepping stone to something bigger, regardless of actual achievements.
And now he's Prime Minister of Canada.
As we face economic challenges and Trump's tariffs, we've handed the keys to someone the British media described as having "left behind a trail of wreckage in every major job he has ever held."
We should have listened to their warnings.
The British experience with Carney should be a wake-up call for Canadians.
A carefully curated CV and elite connections don't guarantee real-world results.
The question isn't whether Carney looks good on paper.
It's whether he can actually deliver when it matters most.
I'd suggest we all pay more attention to what people DO rather than what they SAY.
The British saw behind Carney's polished image. They recognized style over substance.
As a Canadian, I hope we don't learn this lesson the hard way.
But we'll find out on April 28th.
If you found this thread thought-provoking...
• Drop a follow @Shaun Newman Podcast for more
• Like/Repost the quote below if you can
And if you want to dive even deeper into topics that really matter, keep scrolling...
Mark Carney just pulled off the greatest career con in history.
Elite connections and self-promotion landed him trophy jobs.
But British media warned for YEARS that he doesn't deliver results.
A warning from our commonwealth friends that Canada should listen to:
Want the conversations too real for mainstream media?
Subscribe to my Substack to never miss an episode of the podcast and to get exclusive content.
Click below:
https://shaunnewmanpodcast.substack.com/…