Left-Wing Populism

The populist moment in Europe we are currently experiencing is a turning point for our democracies. To address this situation, it is essential to discard the simplistic definition of populism as mere demagogy. The recent emergence of populist forms of politics in Europe is a reaction against the current post-democratic phase of liberal-democratic politics which is the result of several phenomena: in a condition of post-politics the political frontiers between right and left are blurred. This is a result of the consensus established between the parties of the centre-right and centre-left on the idea that there is no alternative to neo-liberal globalization. Under the imperative of modernization the role of parliaments and institutions was drastically reduced. These changes took place within the context of a new neo-liberal hegemonic formation which has exponentially increased inequality, not only affecting the working-class, but also a great part of the middle-class. In those conditions of social and political crisis, a variety of populist movements has emerged rejecting post-politics and post-democracy. They claim to give back to the people the voice that has been confiscated by the elites. Regardless of the problematic forms that some of these movements may take, it is important to recognize the presence among many of them of legitimate democratic aspirations. In several European countries, the aspiration to regain sovereignty has been captured by right-wing populist parties. It is high time to realize that in order to fight right-wing populism, demonization of their supporters does not work. The issues they have put on the agenda need to be addressed by offering them a different answer, one that is able to mobilize common affects towards equality and social justice. The only way to oppose right-wing populist parties is through the construction of another people, promoting a left-wing populist movement that is receptive to the diversity of democratic demands existing in our societies and whose aim is to articulate them in a progressive direction. It is necessary to develop a left-wing populism. It’s objective should be the constitution of a collective will that establishes a synergy between the multiplicity of social movements and political forces and whose objective is the deepening of democracy. Contrary to the view of populism as a perversion of democracy, that all the forces that want to defend the status-quo are trying to impose, left-wing populism constitutes in today’s Europe the most adequate political force to recover and expand democratic ideals.