Share this post:
Simon Wren-Lewis, over at Mainly Macro, has been examining the rise of the populist right and the abhorrent views it supports – and it is horrifyingly fascinating reading.
Prof Wren-Lewis has argued that “support for far right populist parties depended to a significant extent on the attitudes of political elites, and in particular leaders of mainstream parties.
“If these elites ostracise far right or racist views, then this discourages voters from voting for far right parties.
“A clear example of that in the UK was Prime Minister Edward Heath sacking Enoch Powell after his ‘rivers of blood’ speech.
An honest future-direction message
“Vox Political is nearing the end of its fourteenth year, and I want to be honest with you: the online advertising model that kept the site free to read has deteriorated so sharply that it can no longer sustain the work.
This is not a reflection on the readership; it is a structural shift affecting small publishers everywhere.
Rather than quietly winding down, I’m giving you clear notice: Vox Political will close at the end of the year unless something dramatically changes. The good news is that The Whip Line already exists, is reader-funded, and is growing. That is where I can continue producing the journalism you value, free from the chaos of advertiser algorithms.
If you want the work to continue, please join me there. Free and paid subscriptions are available, but please remember it is the paid subscriptions – monthly and annual – that directly fund the reporting.”
“In contrast, if mainstream political leaders attempt to attract potential far right voters by adopting far right rhetoric on issues that concern those voters (immigration, asylum, human rights), this not only destroys any social taboos on voting for far right parties but actively encourages such votes.
“An example of this would be the recent behaviour of first the Conservative party and more recently the Labour party in the UK.
“This idea has strong similarities to the thesis set out in a book published in 2024 by Vicente Valentim, who is Assistant Professor at IE University in Spain, called “The Normalization of the Radical Right: A Norms Theory of Political Supply and Demand” and published by Oxford University Press.”
I agree to a certain extent.
To find out why I agree, and what I think of the other suggestions in the article, head over to The Whip Line.
A subscription unlocks all my analysis and helps keep independent UK political journalism going.
Share this post:
Like this:
Like Loading...
Are populist far-right-wingers here to stay?
Share this post:
Simon Wren-Lewis, over at Mainly Macro, has been examining the rise of the populist right and the abhorrent views it supports – and it is horrifyingly fascinating reading.
Prof Wren-Lewis has argued that “support for far right populist parties depended to a significant extent on the attitudes of political elites, and in particular leaders of mainstream parties.
“If these elites ostracise far right or racist views, then this discourages voters from voting for far right parties.
“A clear example of that in the UK was Prime Minister Edward Heath sacking Enoch Powell after his ‘rivers of blood’ speech.
“In contrast, if mainstream political leaders attempt to attract potential far right voters by adopting far right rhetoric on issues that concern those voters (immigration, asylum, human rights), this not only destroys any social taboos on voting for far right parties but actively encourages such votes.
“An example of this would be the recent behaviour of first the Conservative party and more recently the Labour party in the UK.
“This idea has strong similarities to the thesis set out in a book published in 2024 by Vicente Valentim, who is Assistant Professor at IE University in Spain, called “The Normalization of the Radical Right: A Norms Theory of Political Supply and Demand” and published by Oxford University Press.”
I agree to a certain extent.
To find out why I agree, and what I think of the other suggestions in the article, head over to The Whip Line.
A subscription unlocks all my analysis and helps keep independent UK political journalism going.
Share this post:
Like this:
you might also like
Let’s start the New Year with some hopeful news
Like this:
The lies that smashed the unions and destroyed our coal industry
Like this:
We have an Education Secretary who wants to overwrite history with lies
Like this:
Like this: