… Brexit, Election Day 2016, the collapse of the center-left in France, Germany and Italy, the so-called yellow vest protests, the losses by centrist parties in the recent European elections and a political upset in Australia have been categorized as examples of “populism” or “nationalism.” They are labeled a reaction against “globalization.” But these grand terms mask as much as they reveal. And they sometimes are used to play down or dismiss political activity that an analyst finds uncouth, retrograde or offensive.
It helps to be more specific. Behind the rise of outsider politicians such as Mr. Trump are the interrelated issues of unchecked immigration, terrorism and the imposition of carbon taxes and other measures to mitigate climate change. Elites’ inability or lack of interest in tackling these problems — or even seeing them as problems — generates a crisis of representation in which large numbers of voters look for alternatives they cannot find within traditional political structures. The results have been unexpected. CONT.
Matthew Continetti, New York Times