Quote Originally Posted by Louis VI the Fat View Post
Furunculus, not everybody who favours lower taxes is a populist. But all the rightwing populist parties that are currently sweeping over Europe share roughly the same traits that I described, of which lower taxes is a natural part.

Once in an elected office, especially at the lower levels, these populist politicians almost invariably turn out to be such depressingly inept muppets that even their very own voters are thoroughly put off. And they usually don't have very high standards to begin with.

At the top, Europe's populist parties consist of well educated, sharply dressed people with a deliberate aura of some moderation. This top is usually very narrow. Directly below, below the first ten or twenty members of their organisation, there gapes the abyss already. That army of shady businessmen, taxi drivers, outright criminals and other muppets who fill their ranks and run for elected office. In their minds, they are the ones who ought to run the country.
i accept what you say, specifically, that there are a lot of populist, right-wing parties in continental politics that are deeply unpleasant, that wouldn't get the time of day here, and who i wouldn't want to give the time of day too.

i totally reject the the disdain for populism, especially when among those who laud the actions of the EU.

populism is essentially the acquiescence to the will of the electorate, something that is deeply at odds with the way the EU has handled the whole lisbon constitution/treaty, and i will always jump up and down to point out the fact.

to my mind, the disdain for popularism among much of european political commentary is nothing more than a disdain for the failings of the voter, which is really a contempt for representative democracy.

>I< do not worry about demagogues in Britain, though i do appreciate the problem is more realised elsewhere in the less 'perfect' parts of the world.