The 1 Difference between American and European populism?
European populism does not have much of a cult of personality, while in the United States, without Trump’s personal appeal, we would not know what American populism is.
A center-right or center-left government will be chosen by British voters in the upcoming general election. Comparatively, a second term for Donald Trump in the US election or a president of the Rassemblement National in France are both plausible outcomes. Following last week’s Dutch elections, far-right candidate Geert Wilders is expected to win. While the far-right in Germany is expected to make significant gains in the upcoming federal elections of 2025, the far-right in Italy has assumed power.
So, although it is difficult for some liberals to accept, Britain is now a relatively safe haven from rejecting populism. Brexit has unleashed a large part of voters’ pent-up anger and set populism back, but the consequences of Brexit are enough to dissuade voters from trying yet another right-wing experiment. After enough time, even some Remainers may decide that the hit to national output is worth the price of a period of domestic social harmony. Although the UK has performed poorly in recent years in terms of building high-speed rail and attracting initial public offerings (IPOs), I would rather stay in this country for the next few years than many other Western democracies, thank you.