What is Right Populism?
Right populism is a political style and set of ideas that divides society into the ordinary people and an elite seen as out of touch or self-serving. In the right version, the elite is usually defined in political and cultural terms, such as established parties, international institutions, the media and universities. Scholars describe populism as a thin ideology that combines with a fuller one. Right populism usually combines it with nationalism and social conservatism. Supporters argue that national communities should regain control over borders, laws and culture from distant institutions.
Core beliefs
- Politics is a contest between ordinary citizens and political and cultural elites.
- National sovereignty should take priority over international institutions and agreements.
- Immigration should be reduced and closely controlled.
- Strong policing and tough sentencing are needed to protect public order.
- Traditional family values and national culture should be preserved.
- Referendums and direct appeals to voters are more legitimate than decisions by experts or courts.
History
Scholars often trace modern right populism to postwar Western Europe. In France in the 1950s, Pierre Poujade led a movement of shopkeepers and small business owners against taxes and the political establishment. In the 1970s, new tax protest parties appeared in Denmark and Norway, and the Danish founder Mogens Glistrup became known for opposing the income tax and the welfare bureaucracy. In the 1980s and 1990s, several European parties shifted their focus to immigration, crime and opposition to European integration. In the United States, populist currents on the right have appeared in several periods, often combining appeals to rural and working class voters with opposition to federal power. In the twenty-first century, right populist parties grew in many democracies and entered government in several of them.
Variants
Some right populist movements are economically liberal and focus on lower taxes and less regulation. Others favor a protective state for citizens, with strong pensions, tariffs and support for domestic industry. Some are strongly religious, while others are mainly secular and frame their position as defending national culture. Regionalist forms seek more autonomy for a region against the national capital, while national forms focus on the whole country against international bodies.
Criticisms
Critics on the left argue that right populism directs blame toward immigrants and minorities rather than economic structures and that its policies can increase discrimination. Liberal critics argue that the idea of a single will of the people can be used to weaken courts, the press, civil service and minority protections. Some economists argue that tariffs and restrictions on migration can reduce growth and raise prices. Some conservatives argue that populism relies too much on strong personalities and short-term mobilization and too little on institutions and gradual reform. Defenders respond that right populism gives a voice to voters whose concerns about immigration, sovereignty and economic change were ignored by mainstream parties.
In practice
Right populist ideas have influenced policy in many countries. They have contributed to stricter immigration and asylum rules, more referendums on European and international questions, and greater use of tariffs and border controls. Where right populist parties have joined governments, they have often pushed for changes to citizenship rules, policing and media regulation. Their success has also led some mainstream parties to adopt firmer positions on immigration and national identity.