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Populism

October

Howard Marks says governments are trying to subvert the laws of economics.

Howard Marks, Taylor Swift and why investors should fear populism

Wall Street legend Howard Marks says populist government intervention is on the rise, and big companies are often the enemy. But investors remain convinced size matters.

  • Updated
  • James Thomson

July

Riot police hold back protesters after disorder broke out on July 30, 2024 in Southport, England.

UK police clash with far-right protesters after fatal stabbing

The crowd was believed to consist of English Defence League supporters, with the unrest inspired by speculation about the arrested teenage boy.

  • Jill Lawless and Brian Melley
Marine Le Pen with Jordan Bardella, the 28-year-old who had hoped to be France’s next prime minister.

Why does France’s far right get stronger with each election?

The Western nation has not responded well to the challenges of globalisation, which is a problem that also applies to the whole of Europe.

  • Adrian Blundell-Wignall
Donald Trump and J.D. Vance at the Republican Conference in Wisconsin.

Donald Trump goes for broke with Vance

Vice presidential candidate J.D. Vance is more evidence of how confident the Trump campaign feels about its election prospects.

  • Jennifer Hewett
Middle Australia has every opportunity to rise up the income ranks, according to new Productivity Commission analysis.

Australians need a sharp reminder of how well off they are

A new study is an objective demonstration of why Australians have no cause to mimic the populist rhetoric that has poisoned politics in the US and Europe.

  • The AFR View
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France faces political gridlock after shock election result

France faces fresh political uncertainty and weeks of wrangling, with an intractable hung parliament carved up between three blocs, after a shock election result.

  • Updated
  • Hans van Leeuwen
Marine Le Pen’s party was even beaten by President Macron’s centrist alliance.

How it all went wrong for Le Pen’s National Rally

The second round of the election was framed as a referendum for or against the hard right party, and the French clearly came out against.

  • Henry Samuel and Rebecca Rosman
A hung parliament would risk policy paralysis for the rest of President Emmanuel Macron’s presidency.

French candidates bow out in bid to block far right

More than 200 have confirmed they will not stand in Sunday’s second round voting for France’s 577-seat national parliament.

  • Updated
  • Sudip Kar-Gupta and Dominique Vidalon
Supporters of Marine Le Pen celebrate National Rally’s result.

When the numbers just don’t add up

MAGA in the US and National Rally in France are both making voters big economic promises, but their ideas have some massive holes, writes Paul Krugman.

  • Paul Krugman

June

French far-right leader Marine Le Pen could continue  her tacking towards the mainstream.

Europe’s populist tide hits new and dangerous high

The overarching danger of the governing failures by European elites that have fostered populism is a weakening of the Western alliance’s support for Ukraine.

  • The AFR View
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has the chance to reshape the European right.

The women shaking up world’s second-biggest election

Italy’s Giorgia Meloni and France’s Marine Le Pen are hoping this week’s EU elections, the world’s second-largest, ramp up their burgeoning, Europe-wide momentum.

  • Updated
  • Hans van Leeuwen

May

If the polls are to be believed, the EU parliament is about to shift sharply to the right, endangering policies on climate change and Ukraine.

Populism is yet to peak globally

It’s a mistake to analyse the presidential election in America-only terms. Joe Biden and Donald Trump are being tossed about by global political climate extremely favourable for right-wing populists.

  • David Brooks

November 2023

The MAGA and Brexit movements were fuelled by dislike of high-handed expert managers.

Despite the populist backlash, the world needs technocrats

Elite experts have become the scapegoats for stagnating post-GFC economic prospects. The best thing they can do is to start listening to the public.

  • Diane Coyle
Donald Trump said he was “very proud” of Javier Milei’s Argentina election win.

Trump tells Milei he plans to visit Buenos Aires

Argentina’s president-elect, Javier Milei, earlier this year called on the former US president to “continue with his fight against socialism”.

  • Daniel Politi
Geert Wilders, leader of the Party for Freedom, known as PVV, talks to his supporters after his election win this week.

Europe’s far-right populists buoyed by Wilders’ win in Netherlands

There is hope in the air again for nationalist conservative populists, especially with a European Parliament election coming up in June.

  • Raf Casert
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September 2023

Donald Trump probably deserves to be jailed, but may well be re-elected president.

All bets are off if Trump returns to the Oval Office

It’s hard to imagine free societies hanging on globally against an emboldened group of dictatorships if Team Democracy loses Uncle Sam as its key player.

  • Misha Zelinsky
While the public were complaining about late flights, high air fares and poor service, Qantas decided to invest in the Voice Yes case.

Australian establishment should learn a lesson from Qantas

If corporate elites want to prosper, they need to get back to their core business of providing quality goods and services to the punters and get out of the virtue signalling game.

  • Alexander Downer

August 2023

Giorgia Meloni

Meloni’s ‘crazy’ bank tax harms Italy’s credibility

The right-wing government’s surprise windfall tax on banks is branded a “major miscalculation”.

  • Amy Kazmin
Giorgia Meloni’s government is expanding its populist agenda.

Meloni’s new Italian populism puts investors, Beijing on notice

The prime minister’s nine-month-old far-right coalition government is doubling down on a state-led approach to managing prosperity.

  • Updated
  • Alessandra Migliaccio and Sofia Gerace

October 2022

Liz Truss may have more answers than anyone thinks.

Is nostalgia killing conservatism?

The libertarian policies of Liz Truss look weirdly out of step. Until you consider the failings of both centrists and right-wing populists in Europe.

  • Ross Douthat

Original URL: https://www.afr.com/topic/populism-1m4k