WHO’S AFRAID OF POPULISM?

Filmed at the Battle of Ideas festival 2023, this engaging panel discusses contemporary trends.
Plato argued that excessive freedom leads to mass ignorance, hysteria and, ultimately, tyranny, but it has been Western cultural and political elites themselves that have often been driven by a sense of mistrust or even hostility towards democracy and the people. No doubt such fears are accentuated by populist parties being voted into power in Finland, Italy, Hungary, Sweden and more. The latest anxieties centre on the right-wing populist party, Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) in Germany. In the UK Liberal opinion frets that ‘green policies are the new Brexit’ and suspiciously eyes new rural-metropolitan divides, for example, as expressed by the Dutch Farmer Citizen Movement.
It can be convenient for mainstream politicians, especially on the left, to use the populist label to discredit grassroots opposition by denouncing the likes of protesters against London’s ultra-low emissions zone (ULEZ) as alt-right conspiracy-mongers. But mainstream free-market conservatives can be equally ill at ease, for example with popular hostility to migration or globalism and can wince at expressions of old-fashioned socially conservative attitudes to family and working-class community norms.
Is populism an ally of conservatism, or the force of revenge against nominally conservative parties that bought into a liberal, elitist agenda? Does this reactive aspect to populism limit its ability to forge a new political movement?
If populism is worth embracing as offering a voice for people, can it provide a genuine alternative to the politics of technocratic governance? How can we move beyond populism being defined in the public eye by its detractors?
The speakers are:
Sabine Beppler-Spahl - chair, Freiblickinstitut e.V; CEO, Sprachkunst36; author, Off-centre: how party consensus undermines our democracy; Germany correspondent, spiked
Lord David Frost - member of the House of Lords
Tim Montgomerie - conservative journalist; founder, ConservativeHome, UnHerd and Centre for Social Justice
Jacob Reynolds - head of policy, MCC Brussels; associate fellow, Academy of Ideas
Freddie Sayers - editor-in-chief, UnHerd; former editor-in-chief, YouGov; founder, PoliticsHome
The chair is: Alastair Donald - co-convenor, Battle of Ideas festival; convenor, Living Freedom; author, Letter on Liberty: The Scottish Question
This debate was filmed by volunteers working with Worldwrite. Please help ensure the charity is able to edit further debates by hitting the THANKS button above and donating whatever you can afford.

[@immensus]

Seriously wonderful insight and conversation. Keep speaking and educating.

[@bagelm]

Brilliant discussion, thank you.

[@carltaylor6452]

Very impressed with Tim Montgomerie's opening remarks.

[@marionreynolds7080]

As Chris hedges would say - ‘change only comes from below’. Freddie is right.

[@Sarahk150]

I enjoyed this very refreshing and less hysterical and fearful debate about populism than usual and the speakers are impressive. If populism is a reaction to elites how should the recent pro-Palestinian and anti-Semitic demonstrations be characterised? These may be more scary than AFD which the German speaker discusses.

[@marl6908]

We've found the jew.

[@worldwrite]

How bizarre and sad to think you can only challenge anti-semitism if you are Jewish!

[@marl6908]

Oy Vey! Palestinians are Semites. Very anti-Semitic of you@@worldwrite

[@marl6908]

lmao xD (((worldwrite))) complained again to remove another comment. 'Free and open discussion of "ideas"' btw xD

[@shonabeggs4640]

​@@worldwriteNo, what's really sad is "pro Palestinian and *antisemitism*" was used instead of pro Palestinian and anti Israel. Don't you know that that that word has nothing to do with that group, but is to do with the language and people's of a larger land area than Israel?.

[@NativeNewMexican]

I am happy to debate ANYONE on ANYTHING leftist. It's wrong, it's ALWAYS wrong.

[@DEVRIMCI2007]

Leftism is the reason why Scandinavian countries live better lives and have better democracy than the rest of the world.

[@annetteannette9205]

Agreed 👍

[@JED254]

Child labour laws so wrong!! /s Broken brain nerd

[@GodsOwnPrototype]

Depends a bit on definitions & context of the moment. I think hardly anyone on the left a century ago would survive a week living today without being arrested & charged for extreme right wing behaviour.

[@NativeNewMexican]

@@GodsOwnPrototype Well, if you mean "democrat" maybe, but "progressive" no, they've ALWAYS been the most evil and would appreciate how far their brethren have pushed things. Progressives were behind euthanasia, jim crow laws, persecution of gays and a lot more. Even then, I'd take on ANY Democrat position and show how it's based on faulty thinking even if they end up with the correct outcome like legalized abortion.