"Any winning left politics should 'consistently embrace a populism that decries a rigged economy where hard work fails to yield a stable middle-class life'."

Which is why this "left (affordability) populism" is a mirage: "hard work" leading to a "stable middle class life" is a rich-country-myth!
https://www.ft.com/content/63e8a4f3-7c18-4ddc-b3b7-e472159a7adf?syn-25a6b1a6=1