Their technique is really, really crappy, though.

We're used to competent bad guys. Harper had (still obviously has) all sorts of issues, but his tactics were competent. Ford's not.

In general, incompetent politicians don't become party leaders, let alone get to govern. They may end up being incompetent at governing, but the actual political skills are usually good. Populists tend to come to power by reflecting people's ids, though, rather than by skill. Trump and Ford both fit that pattern.

Ford wouldn't have been party leader if it hasn't been for freak circumstances - a longer leadership race would have worked against him in several ways, and even as it was he won the position on adjusted points rather than a majority of real support.

He's also aggressive on the hustings but the meeting with the premiers suggests that he's somewhat cowardly when actually dealing with other relatively powerful figures.

If the last couple of weeks have showed anything, it's that this government is low in the standard political skills of creating and then playing to a narrative to provide context for what they're actually doing. Instead, the narrative being played about them is of relative flailing about.