For years opponents of right-wing populism chastised the movement for having no principled content beyond “owning the libs”. And for years I batted away such critiques. Yes, populist leaders are inarticulate, their demands often contradictory and inchoate. But behind the mess I discerned a coherent project: to restore some of the national solidarity, social cohesion and democratic sovereignty that had been lost to corporate-led globalisation over two generations.
I’m not so sure any more. Maybe a purely negativist mess is all there is. Behold the jubilation of the worldwide populist movement in response to the victory of Javier Milei in Argentina’s presidential election.
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