British politics is still suffering from ‘long populism’
Rishi Sunak and Keir Starmer both see the perils of avoiding hard choices. But in a time of fiscal squeeze, they will default towards campaigns on values and low-cost policies.
For those who prefer their political leaders to be serious and managerial, this year started well. The next election is likely to be contested between two figures who will not disgrace the office of prime minister. Yet encouraging as this is after the populist interlude, other advances will take longer to work their way out the system.
There are two core traits in populist politics. The first involves using the language of elites to set the public against institutions that might curb a government’s power. The second is the “cakeist” refusal to admit that complex problems nearly always involve uncomfortable trade-offs.
