Elite convergence on austerity, not austerity itself, triggered the populist breach
Evidence
More than recession, bailouts, and austerity per se, it was the convergence of political elites around the latter that opened the fatal breach between a large part of the citizenry and its representatives. In other words, the spark that ignited the fire was the congestion of the channels of representation in which citizens’ demands were classically voiced. Crucial, in that respect, was the commitment of the center-left to neoliberal policies and discourse: by conveying the idea of a lack of alternative to austerity and giving up on channeling the frustration that it generated, they had irremediably lost their credibility as progressive forces. — Arthur Borriello and Anton Jäger, The Populist Moment, 118
Categorization
- XREF: The ‘lack of alternative’ claim connects to earlier claims about how removing ideological alternatives (USSR collapse) reshaped party alignments — the death of alternatives is a recurring theme in this book. — connects to: Center-left parties’ embrace of austerity fueled the European populist upsurge — Arthur Borriello and Anton Jäger, The Populist Moment: The Left After the…, 111; Right-wing populism is a struggle between rival elite factions — Mark Fisher (edited by Darren Ambrose), K-Punk: The Collected and Unpublished…, 2040; Unequal austerity generates populism, nationalism, and violent movement instead of revenue — Mark Blyth, Austerity: The History of a Dangerous…, 63 (+4 more)
Broader Connections
- Center-left parties’ embrace of austerity fueled the European populist upsurge
#qualifies(0.85) — Arthur Borriello and Anton Jäger, The Populist Moment, 111 - Unequal austerity generates populism, nationalism, and violent movement instead of revenue
#qualifies(0.80) — Mark Blyth, Austerity, 63 - Post-2008 austerity discredited center-left parties and radicalized a generation into populism
#qualifies(0.80) — Arthur Borriello and Anton Jäger, The Populist Moment, 25 - Populist breakthroughs erupt when social democratic alternatives fail and mediation channels clog
#qualifies(0.78) — Arthur Borriello and Anton Jäger, The Populist Moment, 80 - Right-wing populism is a struggle between rival elite factions
#expands(0.75) — Mark Fisher (edited by Darren Ambrose), K-Punk, 2040 - Elite contempt for populist challengers backfired into their electoral triumph.
#expands(0.75) — Arthur Borriello and Anton Jäger, The Populist Moment, 95