On “Populism”
A decade ago or so, a โpopulistโ was someone who appealed to the supposed reactionary underbelly of the common folk to win votes and/or influence. โPopulistsโ were usually found on the right of the political spectrum, often even the extreme right. But things have changed and nowadays so-called โpopulistโ movements and parties are often better described as leftist than as right wing (or as mixtures of left-wing and right-wing views). โPopulismโ and โpopulistโ are usually terms of abuse: they express disapproval and disdain. What provokes this disapproval and disdain is that the alleged populist(s) crosses the boundaries of acceptable political...