Understanding Populism

• Populism appeals to ordinary people who feel disregarded by established elite groups.
• Populism originated in the late 19th century and is not restricted to any area of the political spectrum
• Instead populism is an anti-elitist outlook that stretches from fascists to communists.
• Left-wing populism champions the people against an elite.
• Right-wing populism pits the people against elites who favor a minority group.
• Populism contains two primary claims: conflict between "true people" and outsiders, and the unconstrained will of the true people.
• Cultural, socio-economic, and anti-establishment populism are three primary categories of populism.
• Cultural populism promotes nationalism, law and order and views migrants as enemies.
• Socio-economic populism claims the true people are working-class members, and outsiders are big business.
• Anti-establishment populism paints the true people as victims of a state run by political elites.
• Anti-establishment populism focuses on establishment elites as the primary enemy of the people and does not sow as many intra-society divisions
• There has been a surge in populist politicians holding power, as voters deviate from supporting centrist candidates.
• From 1990 to 2018, the number of populists in power increased fivefold, from four to 20 especially in Europe

Populism and Democracy

• Populism poses a serious threat to democracy by causing polarization within society.
• Populist leaders portray themselves as true representatives, dismissing opponents, creating a polarized environment.
• Populist parties exacerbate differences with mainstream groups to gain public approval.
• Scapegoating increases hate crimes against vulnerable minority groups, such as Reform UK leader Nigel Farage's comments about young Muslims.
• Populist politicians reflect legitimate concerns of citizens that often go unheard such as a 2024 UK election poll indicated approximately 45% of those surveyed would "almost never" trust the government.
• Populist parties, instead of solely representing their own agenda, hear the will of the "people" and provide an influential platform for the views of ordinary people taking action on issues of importance to those feeling disconnected from politics.

Eroding Trust in Experts

• Populism poses a serious threat to democracy by eroding trust in experts through misinformation.
• Western democracies have witnessed an erosion of trust in institutions and expertise alongside populist movements.
• Simplistic solutions posed to complex problems make the duties of experts appear useless.
• President Donald Trump's treatment of COVID-19 shows the implications of populist accusations of "fake news".
• Populism allows citizens to engage in politics effectively through its anti-elitist nature increasing political participation.

Nationalism

• Populism poses a serious threat to democracy by promoting nationalism to a toxic extent.
• Populist voters rally around strong leaders whose support for open democracy is unclear.
• Populism can suppress the international role of a global superpower, posing a threat to democracy diminishing the effectiveness of NATO
• Populism’s correlation with nationalism can cultivate national identity within a country and promote unity.
• Populist nationalists can encourage and bring together "ordinary people" to fight against those against their interests.
• Globalism and active engagement with foreign affairs can have a detrimental impact on native citizens like the war in Afghanistan cost American taxpayers over $1 trillion .

Restrictions

• Populism poses a serious threat to democracy as it undermines liberal protections for individuals.
• Populist movements are sceptical of restraints because they see them as impediments to their goals.
• Populism acts can be a constitutional threat that allows the executive to abuse their powers.
• Policies favor the majority's interests while neglecting or discriminating against minority groups.
• Populism in France demonstrates the erosion of individual liberties through the attempted headscarf ban in sports, with Muslims making up only 8.8% of the French population

Return Power to People

• Populism acts to return power to the people, favoring direct democracy like referendums.
• Several political figures and movements illustrate how populism can function as a return of power to the people
• Populism influences those on the working class improving democracy

Summary

• Populism poses a severe threat to democracy by causing polarization, distrust in experts, encouraging nationalism, and excluding minorities.
• The "us" vs "them" agenda of populism is detrimental to all societies across the globe, inhibiting compromise, communication, and unity.
• Populism actively harms vulnerable minority groups through techniques such as scapegoating and segregation.
• Populism is a large contributor to the decline in democracy