Event: The new populism - A threat to democracy?

Dr Joel Rogers de WaalAcademic Director, YouGov
April 14, 2019, 4:11 PM GMT+0

Tuesday 14 May 2019, 7pm–8.30pm
Milton Court, London, EC2Y 9BH

Book tickets via The Guardian Live

As part of The new populism series, The Guardian has partnered with the YouGov-Cambridge Centre to produce a new annual study, and the largest of its kind, on the public state of globalisation. In the fortnight that we publish the results, our panel, including political scientist Cas Mudde, writer Elif Shafak, French MP Delphine O, and Director of the Bennett Institute for Public Policy Professor Michael Kenny, will explore how populism is changing politics around the world, and what the YouGov-Cambridge study suggests about the future of globalisation. Stephan Shakespeare, chief executive and founder of YouGov, will introduce the evening offering a brief insight into the research findings

Twenty years ago, populist parties were seen as a marginal force. Since then, anti-establishment populism has been on the rise, particularly after the 2008 financial crash and the 2015 refugee crisis in Europe. Now, some are predicting the European elections could return more rightwing populists than ever. Beyond the EU, five of the world’s largest democracies, including the US, are led by populists.

Supporters of populism say it champions the ordinary person against vested interests and is therefore vital to democracy. But critics say that populists in power often go against democratic norms, by undermining the media, science, judiciary or by trampling minority rights.

Our panel will discuss this new political landscape. What are the root causes of populism? What dangers do these trends present to our democracies and how will a rise in nationalist sentiment impact our ability to confront global problems such as climate change? What are the political solutions?

Running time: 90 minutes, no interval.

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Main image: The New Populism Photograph - by The Guardian Design Team

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