The populist revolt against mainstream politics highlights tensions between majority rule and rule of law that are intrinsic to any version of democracy worth defending. Provided these questions are debated and resolved within the institutions of democracy itself, then the conflict is not a negative phenomenon, but a positive one, a sign of the inherent vitality of democracy.
Tag: populism
Populism and the Future of Democracy in Europe
Populism is one of those words that is dying from promiscuous over-use. […] I think what it means it is a general descriptor of any course of political action that does not command assent from a centrist elite of experts. Which means that it is not necessarily a bad thing at all. So we must not use it as a swearword, it may be a wakeup call. I am going to use populism to describe anti-elite, anti-institutional challenges, in the name of the people, to center right and center left political dominance of European politics.
Democracy Versus Democracy: The Populist Challenge to Liberal Democracy
The current populist challenges in western liberal democracies should not be seen as evidence of their decline, but as a constituent part. The history of democracy shows us that such challenges enable democracy’s growth and evolution.