Recent victories for European centrists offer a chance to reflect on the phenomenon of populism – and draw some crucial lessons for the future • Cas Mudde is a US academic and writer The electoral victories of Emmanuel Macron in France and Mark Rutte in the Netherlands have significantly changed the discourse on European politics. The international media has gone from “populism is unbeatable” to “populism is dead”. Obviously, neither is or was true. In fact, populist parties are still doing better in elections, on average, than ever before during the postwar era. Various European countries have populists in their government – including Finland, Greece, Hungary, Norway, and Slovakia – while the most powerful country in the world is at the mercy of a billionaire president who has wholeheartedly embraced the populism of some of his main advisers, notably Steve Bannon and Stephen Miller. Related: Macron’s victory march to Europe’s anthem said more than words | Natalie Nougayrède Continue reading...
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