A New Wave of Populism

[Bourbon Duo-Sicilie]

In Britain with the victory of the Eurosceptics with their Brexit referendum. Many have cheered this on and applauded the British for freeing themselves of the shackles of the EU. Then in South East Asia we have a gun-slinging vigilante who has promised to rid the Philippines of the drug dealers. Duterte has even recently claimed that God came to him and told him to control his outbursts. Then here in America we have our next president, Trump, who has promised to "drain the swamp" of the establishment and build a wall. Then we have Marine Le Pen in France showing strength in polls that she might soon fulfill her promise of making "France for the French." And in many other parts of the world right-wing populist movements are quickly rising. Personally I think populism is good as it is waking up the world to the horrors going on.

So NSG what do you think? Do you think there is a populist wave sweeping throughout the world or this is just a short lived phenomenon? Is this a hate filled craze that will destroy the Western World or is this the people waking up and making their voice heard?

Sorry if the opening post isn't that good, it's my first and any suggestions will be greatly appreciated.

[Isyrannaea]

Brexit, Duterte = good.

Trump, not so much.

[New Prague Republic]

I think populists are good for America as they are waking up the people and disrupting the establishment. Populism is seen as bad thing because they are seen as demagogues who ignore the realities of power and the necessity of political compromise, while their supporters view them as plain-speaking underdogs who are willing to stand up for regular folk against the lazy, the incompetent, and the powerful.

[Mahakala]

I think populists are good for America as they are waking up the people and disrupting the establishment. Populism is seen as bad thing because they are seen as demagogues who ignore the realities of power and the necessity of political compromise, while their supporters view them as plain-speaking underdogs who are willing to stand up for regular folk against the lazy, the incompetent, and the powerful.

Are you unaware that Trump is literally the neoliberal establishment?

[Bourbon Duo-Sicilie]

I think populists are good for America as they are waking up the people and disrupting the establishment. Populism is seen as bad thing because they are seen as demagogues who ignore the realities of power and the necessity of political compromise, while their supporters view them as plain-speaking underdogs who are willing to stand up for regular folk against the lazy, the incompetent, and the powerful.

Are you unaware that Trump is literally the neoliberal establishment?

What do you think about Trump? Savior of the American people or the diablo himself?

[Dooom35796821595]

Are you unaware that Trump is literally the neoliberal establishment?

What do you think about Trump? Savior of the American people or the diablo himself?

A British puppet. The long range remote broke, so Farrage had to go over to use the short range control.

[Maichuko]

Are you unaware that Trump is literally the neoliberal establishment?

What do you think about Trump? Savior of the American people or the diablo himself?

I expect him to cause a horrible Recession.

[Bourbon Duo-Sicilie]

What do you think about Trump? Savior of the American people or the diablo himself?

A British puppet. The long range remote broke, so Farrage had to go over to use the short range control.

British puppet? Well that's a first, I've heard from people that he is a Democratic plant to rig the election in their favor or a puppet of the Russians, but never of the British.

[Liberated Free Nations]

I don't believe it will be short-lived. Thankfully, a lot of people are seeing that liberalism (not in the classical liberal sense, but the modern) is a failure in terms of economic policy. Regulation, instead of protecting consumers, has been twisted into a tool to lock out free competition with price barriers. Social Security, instead of solving poverty, has taken from the poor to feed people who never work to earn their riches. It has entrenched monopoly at the expense of the equal opportunity the American Revolution stood for. Everyone (well, mostly) where I live is tired of it, and the flames of liberty tend to spread once people see a chance to gain even more freedom.

EDIT: I'll wait and see on the Trump presidency. British money has had an inordinate influence in U.S. politics since the days of Woodrow Wilson.

[Jochizyd Republic]

Populism is Neoliberalism with a mean face. It sucks.

[The United States of the South Pole]

Populism, I believe, is necessary to put the left in it's place. If you want to know why Trump won the election, and without any overactive claims, I would tell you he won the election of the left's abandonment of protectionist and employment focused policies back in 2,000. The unemployed Southern, Middle American, and Midwest working class sat through sixteen years of one Neoliberal Democrat who fucked up their healthcare and One Neoconservative war mongler. All the while the the Liberals constantly indoctrinated the easily manipulated into believing the struggles of the rural working class meant nothing, or even worse they taught that they we're all racist, gun nut, segregationists with an IQ of 78. As they ignored the average intelligence of the usual minimum wage worker or those heavy on welfare. I still believe the core beliefs of the Democratic party favor the common man, but the Democrats have to take a look at their Globalist, Open Border Policies and have much they have given up on Free Speech, Free thought, Gun Rights, States RIghts, and their Peace Keeping Foreign Policy if they want to win the next election.
I legitimately liked Bernie, but the common democratic socialist takes so much of his ideals, and enforced them to the point they believed their way was the only, free way, that I find myself agreeing more with Trotskyist or Anarcho-Communist much more often than the average young Democrat. The Common, Moderate, somewhat Older Democrat should be somewhat drawn to Trump, but due to how much Sanders's title of Democratic Socialist, not his own ideals, have radicalized them, they're viewing him as the worst Republican Candidate to have ever hold office from a party, they believe, platforms solely on the issues of White Supremacy. I believe a bulk of the radicalization can be attributed to the fact that Sanders ran as a Democratic Socialist instead of a simple Progressive, though the social superiority complex would still be there, of course.
Right now I'll celebrate Trump's victory but remain highly suspicious of whom he'll grant cabinet seats. I believe Trump, and even Pence to an extent, are both dedicated to draining the swamp, but due to how many rock solid Democrat Politicians, who may find themselves agreeing with Trump a lot on the Economy, have been pushed away, Trump have to settle for Experienced Bush Era Neoconservatives as cabinet seats.

[Isyrannaea]

Are you unaware that Trump is literally the neoliberal establishment?

What do you think about Trump? Savior of the American people or the diablo himself?

Trump is in the middle. Not as good as the AltRight wanted, not as bad as the leftists paint him to be.

[Senkaku]

Duterte = good.

Trump, not so much.

Duterte- has actually caused thousands of extrajudicial killings
Trump- has had a somewhat messy transition so far and said some mean stuff

I mean I don't like Trump but he ain't out there getting thousands of people shot

[Dooom35796821595]

A British puppet. The long range remote broke, so Farrage had to go over to use the short range control.

British puppet? Well that's a first, I've heard from people that he is a Democratic plant to rig the election in their favor or a puppet of the Russians, but never of the British.

That's right, a British puppet. So is le pen. And modi. It's part of our 100 year plan to reclaim the empire, only more.

[Stormaen]

I don't think Le Pen will win in next year's French presidential election. In the case of Brexit, Duterte and Trump, it was a case of "most votes wins" (albeit the latter being electoral votes).

However, France has a two-sound run-off election. She probably will come second in the first round along with whoever the centre-right candidate is (because the socialist candidate – especially if it's Hollande – doesn't have a snowflake's chance in hell), but in the second round opponents of Le Pen and the FN will rally against her.

French voters have done that exact same thing before in 2002 when, funnily enough, her father went into the second round. Then incumbent Jacques Chirac wiped the floor with Le Pen, taking something like 80% of the vote, because socialists, greens, centrists, liberals, etc. all rallied to vote for the conservative against the nationalist.

However, speaking of second round run-offs, there's a chance Austria could have its first right-wing populist president since, well, Anschluss.

There's certainly a populist wave rippling through the West. I'm yet to decide if there an inherent conservatism (small-c) to it, or whether it's just a broader anti-liberalism (not the American definition of liberalism). Perhaps it's both.

Swings and roundabouts though. Liberalism and internationalism have been in the ascendancy since the Eighties. Before that we had 'consensus' post-war politics. Before that protectionism, nationalism and isolationism. Before that liberalism again. Now, we have populism. Hopefully, one day within my lifetime, we'll revert back to liberalism.

[SUNTHREIT]

You can close the borders and clean up your parliaments of corruption but when your people don't even feel obligated to reproduce, your civilisation is still fucked.
If Populism ends up taking over the west we'll be living in a Bizarro world, a western Japan. Which is probably better than a cross between the USA and Brazil with a dose of supranational federalisation but hey.

[Republic of the Cristo]

I am glad that this wave of populism is rising to combat the globalist wave which has struck most of the world over the last two and half decades - I would though prefer for leaders with better temperaments to take helm of it though. And I would not mind an idealist or two ( an idealist without illusions that is ). Although I do appreciate the realism of many modern populists, a bit of starry eyed hope is always a good thing.

[George Rockwell]

There's no "wave" of anything.

Just Neoliberalism.

[Lady Scylla]

Concerning, but its just the political cycle doing what it does. Weve entered an era of strongman politics yet again like we did last century.

[The Romulan Republic]

Concerning, but its just the political cycle doing what it does. Weve entered an era of strongman politics yet again like we did last century.

Yes, an era that lead to genocide, a world war, the deaths of tens of millions, and the beginning of the atomic age.

A resurgence does not seem like something to be waved aside so lightly.

[Lady Scylla]

Concerning, but its just the political cycle doing what it does. Weve entered an era of strongman politics yet again like we did last century.

Yes, an era that lead to genocide, a world war, the deaths of tens of millions, and the beginning of the atomic age.

A resurgence does not seem like something to be waved aside so lightly.

Where did I say I was waving it away?

[Republic of the Cristo]

I don't think Le Pen will win in next year's French presidential election. In the case of Brexit, Duterte and Trump, it was a case of "most votes wins" (albeit the latter being electoral votes).

However, France has a two-sound run-off election. She probably will come second in the first round along with whoever the centre-right candidate is (because the socialist candidate – especially if it's Hollande – doesn't have a snowflake's chance in hell), but in the second round opponents of Le Pen and the FN will rally against her.

French voters have done that exact same thing before in 2002 when, funnily enough, her father went into the second round. Then incumbent Jacques Chirac wiped the floor with Le Pen, taking something like 80% of the vote, because socialists, greens, centrists, liberals, etc. all rallied to vote for the conservative against the nationalist.

However, speaking of second round run-offs, there's a chance Austria could have its first right-wing populist president since, well, Anschluss.

There's certainly a populist wave rippling through the West. I'm yet to decide if there an inherent conservatism (small-c) to it, or whether it's just a broader anti-liberalism (not the American definition of liberalism). Perhaps it's both.

Swings and roundabouts though. Liberalism and internationalism have been in the ascendancy since the Eighties. Before that we had 'consensus' post-war politics. Before that protectionism, nationalism and isolationism. Before that liberalism again. Now, we have populism. Hopefully, one day within my lifetime, we'll revert back to liberalism.

Then religious commutarianism - then the cycle just stops there because utopia has been reached

g'night

[Isyrannaea]

Duterte = good.

Trump, not so much.

Duterte- has actually caused thousands of extrajudicial killings
Trump- has had a somewhat messy transition so far and said some mean stuff

I mean I don't like Trump but he ain't out there getting thousands of people shot

and

[-Mr Money-]

Populism is surely the purest form of endorsement you can get. Directly from the people! Sure, some people don't agree, but the whole point of Populism is that a majority agree. How is that not a good thing, isn't that what Democracy's all about?

Edit: I'm no fan of Duterte either, but if that's what the Philippines wants, then fine. We can't complain with a decision other people made.

[Kilobugya]

I hate the name and concept of "populism", it's not like caring for the people's aspiration is something wrong. Sure most of the so-called "populists" don't really care, it's just posture and lies (like Trump pretending to "drain the swamp" of lobbyists to then name nearly only lobbyists in his transition team, or brexiters saying that the money saved by brexit will go to NHS and then wanting to cut NHS), and maybe that's what "populism" truly means (speaking about defending the people's aspiration to then do the opposite).

But then it becomes very easy to label "populist" and associate with those frauds those who _really_ defend common people's interests against the elites, associating Sanders with Trump, associating Tsipras with brexist, associating Chávez with Le Pen, and that's just disgusting.

That said, yes, we have a new wave of far right-wing, reactionary, politicians pretending to be "close to the people" to then better betray them, and that's a logical consequence of the repeating economical crisis of the past decades, the widening inequalities, the dismantling of the post-WW2 social consensus. As Gramsci said, "The crisis consists precisely in the fact that the old is dying and the new cannot be born; in this interregnum a great variety of morbid symptoms appear."