The Political Logic of Populist Hype: The Case of Right-wing Populism’s ‘Meteoric Rise’ and Its Relation to the Status Quo 1

Abstract

The political logic of populist hype: The case of right-wing populism's 'meteoric rise' and its relation to the status quoPOPULISMUS Working Papers No. 4

Populism, the media, and the mainstreaming of the far right: The Guardian’s coverage of populism as a case study

“…Cas Mudde (2007) stressed early on that such parties should be called 'populist radical right' as opposed to 'radical right populist', as the latter would put the emphasis on populism (a secondary characteristic) away from radical right (which Mudde argued was the core of the ideology). Unfortunately, this nuance appears to have often been lost, feeding what some have termed a 'populist hype' (Glynos and Mondon, 2019) and avoiding the careful work undertaken on typology and terminology over the years. Therefore, it is common to see the term applied to a multitude of disparate movements from the left to the right, and increasingly in contexts outside of politics.…”

Beyond populism and institutionalism: Anti‐populism and the management of austerity in Spain

“…Nevertheless, in recent years, different scholars working within the so‐called Essex School of discourse analysis have coined the concept of anti‐populism to draw attention to those political discourses that have opposed populist irruptions throughout Europe (see Glynos & Mondon ; Karavasilis, ; Katsambekis, ; Medarov, ; Stavrakakis, ; Stavrakakis & Katsambekis ; Stavrakakis et al., ) . These authors, who in general have been critical of such discourses, have linked anti‐populism to a putative transition from democracy to “post‐democracy” (Crouch, ), that is, from politicized modes of government based on political deliberation towards depoliticized modes of governance that aim to reduce politics to the mere technocratic management of non‐conflicting affairs.…”

“…The material analyzed is a combination of public statements by leading party figures and by civil society actors that constitute articulations of a significant social salience given the prominence of the speakers as well as their coverage in mass media. Nevertheless, the aim of the article is not simply to engage in a (theoretically mediated) recharacterization aimed at uncovering the truths and falsehoods of a specific anti‐populist discourse, despite the importance of this task (Glynos & Modon, ). The aim is rather to discern the rules governing the emergence of an anti‐populist discourse, whose political efficacy operates socially without regard to hypothetical misrepresentations.…”

“…Nevertheless, in recent years, different scholars working within the so-called Essex School of discourse analysis have coined the concept of anti-populism to draw attention to those political discourses that have opposed populist irruptions throughout Europe (see Glynos & Mondon 2016;Karavasilis, 2017;Katsambekis, 2015;Medarov, 2015 been critical of such discourses, have linked anti-populism to a putative transition from democracy to "post-democracy" (Crouch, 2004), that is, from politicized modes of government based on political deliberation towards depoliticized modes of governance that aim to reduce politics to the mere technocratic management of non-conflicting affairs. Thus, anti-populist discourses are defined by the "rejection of disagreement and democratic dissent … in the name of 'economic necessity'" or 'the nation's salvation'" (Katsambekis, 2015, p. 576) and by the tendency to demonize any opposition to the existing institutional regime by labelling it populist.…”

Limiting Democratic Horizons to a Nationalist Reaction: Populism, the Radical Right and the Working Class

“…Therefore, the acknowledgement of the failings of the system to work for all has often been limited to those 'left-behind' voting for what will be defined more precisely here as populist radical right parties (PRRPs), thus shifting mainstream politics towards more nationalistic and xenophobic platforms as they have become construed as popular demands, to which mainstream politicians felt compelled to respond (Mondon 2013). Consequently, another somewhat contradictory trend has developed whereby 'the people', through the association with PRRPs, are considered no longer worthy of trust because of their assumed undemocratic predisposition (Glynos and Mondon 2016). A simplistic Tocquevillian narrative has thus become commonplace where 'we', conscientious electors, are warned about the rule of the mob, something which became clearest in the aftermath of the EU referendum in the UK.…”