In einem
hervorragenden Artikel für den Guardian fasst
Cas Mudde seine Erkenntnisse zum Populismus in
fünf Thesen und Lehren zusammen:
- Thesis 1: Populism is neither right nor left, but populists can be either left or right (or even centrist)
- Thesis 2: Populism is anti-system, but not anti-democracy
- Thesis 3: Populism is an illiberal democratic response to undemocratic liberalism
- Thesis 4: Populists often ask the right questions but give the wrong answers
- Thesis 5: The power of populism is largely determined by the actions of liberal democrats
Die zugehörigen
fünf Lehren:
- Lesson 1: Populism cannot be defeated by adopting a
(soft) xenophobic discourse or by tightening immigration. It is about
the struggle within “the own people” (however defined).
- Lesson 2: Populism can only be defeated by a clear and
comprehensive defence of liberal democracy, which explains that our
political system goes beyond mere popular sovereignty and majority rule,
and explains that the liberal aspects of the system benefit all
citizens – as everyone can be a minority one day.
- Lesson 3: Liberal democrats must move beyond Tina
arguments, and purely anti-populist campaigns, and return to ideological
politics. Even depoliticised issues have to be politically explained,
ie by arguing why it is better that they were depoliticised.
- Lesson 4: Neither ignoring populists nor adopting their
issues and frames will defeat populism – let alone strengthen liberal
democracy. Liberal democrats have to set their own agendas and address
all issues, also those raised by populists, on the basis of their own
ideology.
- Lesson 5: Liberal democrats should start to treat
populists as any other political actors, that is, as the political voice
of a (sometimes substantial) minority of the population. Their
influence should be not be disproportional to their popular support,
particularly not when they are in opposition.
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