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Wednesday, 31 March 2010

Geert Wilders as a "Right-Wing Populist"

According to the Homeric epithets affixed by his enemies, Geert Wilders is a "right-wing populist."

 About the "right-wing" part -- see here.

And about the populism,  see the paragraph about "populism" just posted by George Handlery at Brussels Journal: 

"Amused, the writer is observing what is labeled as “extreme right wing” or as a “populist”. By now, the routine charge of populism has achieved fad status akin to piercings, baggy pants and snowboards. This notation addresses itself to the term “populist” when applied as a charge before ritual condemnation. There are things that we all know but which the elites, being domiciled in their “houses high on the hills”, can avoid. Since the problem does not fit their concept as in an ideal world it is not supposed to exist, they are reluctant to discuss the matter. If, inconveniently, someone publicizes unfitting concerns, the elite knows that it lacks an effective response. Therefore, in want of a convincing answer, the party raising the issue is dismissed as “populist”. In doing so, the claimant has essentially accepted defeat on a playing field that has been leveled to the traditional élites’ disadvantage. Perhaps populism should be given a new meaning. In practice, it appears that populism is when “they” have no good retort and must allege, for that reason, that the people are too simple to fathom the problem. Consequently, those who refer to the average person’s judgment are accused of misleading agitation to rally the barefooted. In trouble, the folks without arguments allege that the populists are wrong simply because they have simple answers. Indeed: “check-mate” is a simple matter."

 

Posted on 03/31/2010 6:49 AM by Hugh Fitzgerald
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