There are concerns about the rise of populism and erosion of democratic standards throughout the world. Examples include countries such as Hungary, Poland and Brazil, growing support for populist parties in western Europe, and recent development in the US. Populism has grown through new challenger parties, but also through capture of previously mainstream parties.

This Policy and Practice seminar discuss these worldwide trends, how to counter them, and how worried we should be about a populist rise in the UK. Three international experts joined the discussion.

Speakers:

• Anne Applebaum, author of Twilight of Democracy: The Failure of Politics and the Parting of Friends
• Rory Stewart, former Cabinet Minister and 2019 candidate for the Conservative Party leadership, now Senior Fellow at Yale University
• Professor Nadia Urbinati, author of Me the People: How Populism Transforms Democracy

Chair: Professor Meg Russell, Director of the Constitution Unit

Further Reading

• Anne Applebaum - How my old friends paved the way for Trump and Brexit
• Anne Applebaum - How to beat populists when facts don't matter
• Rory Stewart - What is wrong with us?
• Nadia Urbinati  - Populism? It’s not fascism, and also democracies Are “Elastic”
• Nadia Urbinati  - The pandemic hasn’t killed populism

Links:

Website: www.ucl.ac.uk/constitution-unit

Mailing list: www.ucl.ac.uk/constitution-unit/get-involved/mailing-list

Blog: constitution-unit.com