What is Populism

I liked Finkelstein's thesis; it does explain human behaviour better than 'fairness'.

I was thinking the other day about the complaint about immigrants using the NHS (sorry to mention immigration) without having contributed and was wondering about what people might think about UK children, non working people etc who have access without themselves having made any financial contribution. No reciprocity there...

I don't intend to enter into any detailed argument about this. I just thought it was interesting point.

P.S I disagree completely with Nigel Lawson's definition of populism.

It is too simplistic.

He's a climate change sceptic as well

Whitewave Sometimes the answers to the most complicated issues are, simple

'Political Correctness' is one of those phrases that makes me see red! Especially when accompanied by the words 'gone mad' It's a derogatory phrase used to rubbish things like feminism and anti-racism. It's an Alf Garnett phrase...

Discuss...

maize correct now I shall stand back and watch

Is there such a thing as right-wing political correctness? I can't seem to think of any. It's only left-wingers who are condemned for political correctness.
If there isn't, then Lawson is saying that there is only right-wing populism.

www.facebook.com/events/160520691084922/

A march to turn into a lynch mob.

Is there such a thing as right-wing political correctness? I can't seem to think of any. It's only left-wingers who are condemned for political correctness.

I agree DJ (isnt it nice to agree on something?)
Why do you think that is the case?

Although I would add the 'condemning' comes more from the left for 'political incorrectness' except they don't call it that, they prefer to describe it as a 'phobia' or even 'hate'.

Oh Mair, don't spoil it. You started off so nicely

Nigel Lawson was a fanatical Leave campaigner although he lives in France. I do wonder whether he has lost it

Come on mair, finish it. You missed the last sentence.
If there is no such thing as right-wing political correctness, there can be only be right-wing populism.

If there is no such thing as right-wing political correctness, there can be only be right-wing populism

I don't see the logic of that? Since when was 'populism' the antonym of 'political correctness'?

Sorry but I've not really been involved in this thread. Boring topic IMO, defining a word which by its nature is nebulous just seems like argument for the sake of it.

In which case Nigel Lawson was wrong.
You can go and find another thread which you do not find boring, mair.
It's a discussion thread, not an argument.

Lawson was and is a hypocrite - one of a number of very arrogant Tory grandees. These days, people think it was the poll tax which brought Thatcher down, but it wasn't. It was her opposition to supporting the ERM (the precursor of the Euro), which Lawson and Geoffrey Howe wanted. At the time Lawson was a Europhile. Knowing that Thatcher had to deal with men like him (and they were almost all men) almost makes me feel sorry for her.

Lawson's explanation of populism might possibly explain what happened in the UK referendum, but it's not a universal explanation for populism and, IMO, doesn't even tell the whole story anyway. In an interview, he even stated that he had never met Nigel Farage, because Farage's Leave campaign appealed to a different sort of voter. He dismissed the concerns of the 'working class' Leave voters just as he dismissed the concerns of the working class when he was Chancellor.

Lawson was a fierce critic of David Cameron, not for austerity or the harm which Cameron/Osborne did to the economy, but for Cameron's social liberalism.

Lawson doesn't like so-called political correctness, because it supports respect for minorities and more equality, which he abhors.

[[http://www.progressonline.org.uk/2017/01/10/brexit-is-labours-future/ Brexit is Labour's future by Jonathan Rutherford of progressonline.org.uk, who describe themselves as "an independent organisation of Labour Party members" chaired by Alison McGovern MP.

Bother.

www.progressonline.org.uk/2017/01/10/brexit-is-labours-future/

thatbags

I think that link is totally in line with my thoughts. It is not particularly partisan and makes points raised time and time again but they regularly get rebuffed.

If you don't mind there is one repeated point in your link that I do find a 'tad' annoying. I respectfully refer to the use of England and not say Wales where Brexit was voted for too.

A good appraisal.

If that is what Labour has to do, I dont think it has a hope.
In most of those paragraphs, I dont think Labour comes anywhere close.

Nigel Lawson and his explanation of populism, describes I think WHY someone might want to vote for a populist candidate, i.e. they reject established principles but that is all. It is as I said too simplistic and does nothing to describe a populist politician.

I also think that Lawson is referring to quite a narrow group. Within his own Tory circles there are - and always have been - disagreements about socially liberal principles and concerns about the environment, etc. That's why he was so critical of Cameron. As a member of Thatcher's cabinet, he recognised (as did Thatcher) that the way to win an election was to woo Little England, even if he didn't really care anything about their interests. Compared with mainland Europe (or at least Western Europe), the UK is conservative (with a small c) to the core, which is one of the reasons I'm sad to leave the EU.

I note that Rutherford left out the age factor in his article. I suspect younger people think differently. It's one of a series of articles in the Labour Interest series. This is another:

www.progressonline.org.uk/2017/01/10/labours-patriotism-must-not-be-nostalgic/

But Lawson is one of the establishment. More than any other single person, he created the boom and bust economic cycle we experienced in the 1990s. He oversaw Big Bang, so opened the gates to neo-liberalism, which has encouraged corporatism.

Lawson doesn't like what he sees as 'leftie' interests such as LGBT and other minority rights or concern for the environment. He's not against the establishment - far from it. He's against protecting minorities and what some people label 'PC'.