Written by Jonathan Tanner (Guest Contributor)

"It's not rocket science is it?" This phrase is designed to be definitive.

It is what we call a rhetorical question, stating that solving a perceived problem is much simpler than you might think.

Yet when it comes to understanding the attraction of populist politics in Europe it feels like this is in danger of becoming a real question.

The success of populist politicians in communicating to the public has become a major cause of debate amongst more mainstream or 'progressive' political circles.

The myth of the secret playbook

Some people seem to think populists have stumbled across a secret recipe book containing black market technologies and cutting-edge psychological tricks.

'If only we had access to the same book' they say, then we could finally 'do something about the threat of authoritarian populism at the ballot box'.

Well here is the truth. There is no secret book. For now at least, the playing field in democratic politics is still pretty even. And having spent considerable time at Rootcause exploring how artificial intelligence can enhance political communication, I can tell you that even the most sophisticated new tools work best when they amplify the fundamentals we've always known.

Consistency beats complexity

One example that should remind us that good communication is not rocket science can be found in my recent analysis of the Instagram feeds of the main UK political parties.

I looked at the grid of what each party has posted most recently. Guess which party was the best by a mile?

Yes. Reform. Their grid made use of the same basic templates over and over again. A 'case file' of criminals convicted in the UK but not from the UK and a scorecard of crimes committed in different areas of the UK. These simple visual devices added up to a clear message: Crime in the UK is a big problem and foreigners commit lots of crimes.

This is smart political messaging. Focusing on one issue, consistently, in an emotionally compelling way that voters can quickly understand. No complex algorithms required. No secret psychological manipulation. Just the basics done well.

Compare it to the grids of the other main parties which was a scatterboard of posts on different topics and with different visual themes. There's no recognisable identity and no consistent message.

This reveals a bigger problem that haunts mainstream European politics. Many progressive parties have convinced themselves that they need to find some technological silver bullet or master some mysterious new science of persuasion. Meanwhile, populist parties succeed by doing what effective communicators have always done: they pick a message, stick to it, and say it simply.

Social media is still too often seen as the poor cousin of traditional media despite the fact that more people now access news via social media than traditional media. Many populist parties have made long-term bets on building social media audiences. Nigel Farage has more TikTok followers than all other UK MPs put together.

But here's what's important: Farage's success isn't about mastering some complex new medium. It's about understanding that every medium rewards the same basic principles - authenticity, consistency, and clarity. He talks the same way on TikTok as he does at a pub. The platform changes, the fundamentals don't.

Technology helps, but fundamentals win

Through our work developing AI tools for political communication, we've discovered something that might surprise those searching for the next big technological breakthrough: the most effective AI applications simply help organisations do the fundamentals better. They help track whether your messaging is consistent across platforms, identify which simple messages resonate most with different audiences, and maintain authentic dialogue at scale. The magic isn't in the technology - it's in using technology to perfect the basics.

The campaign of Zohran Mamdani offers another perfect example of this principle in action. There's been plenty of analysis of Mamdani's social media strategy which was smart, snappy and plugged into internet culture, but the real genius was in his message discipline. He simply stated that 'Life in New York just shouldn't be this hard' and underpinned this with concrete slogans like 'freeze the rent' and 'free buses'.

This baseline narrative took a widely shared, strongly-held perception amongst voters and showed how something could be done about it. It didn't matter whether he was posting on Instagram, speaking at a rally, or being interviewed on a podcast - the message remained the same. Simple. Clear. Repeated.

These widely shared strongly held perceptions exist in Europe too, but mainstream politicians often get tangled up in complex policy positions and careful hedging that dilutes their core message. They're looking for rocket science when what they need is basic physics.

Combining simplicity with repetition has always been a smart way to get your message across. So too has cultivating a sense of authenticity - something mainstream modern politicians find increasingly difficult having grown up in an era of soundbites and predictable patterns of media behavior.

The tools will keep evolving. AI will certainly accelerate changes in how we create and distribute political content. But good communication will remain what good communication is because human nature remains what human nature is. People want to understand quickly what you stand for and whether you mean it. They want to know, without having to think too hard about it, whose side you're on.

Sometimes success in politics doesn't have to be rocket science. In fact sometimes rocket science is the worst possible place to start.

Jonathan Tanner has over fifteen years of experience in senior communications roles, advising politicians, executives, and leading public thinkers on how to communicate effectively. His work increasingly focuses on how technology is reshaping digital information ecosystems. As founder of Rootcause, a not-for-profit consultancy, he brings together AI, data, and communications expertise to help organisations navigate contested narrative environments and strengthen democracy.