Liberalism and populism are opposing forces operating in divergent directions. Despite these opposing traits, however, neither populism nor liberalism offers much hope to ordinary citizens. Marine Le Pen in France or Viktor Orbán in Hungary, amongst others, are trying to combine populism with anti-immigrant sentiments and authoritarian ambitions. Cultural theorist Stuart Hall had coined the term ‘authoritarian populism’ to refer to a specific form of conservative politics. Authoritarian populism, he argued, was characterised by the construction of a contradiction between the common people and elites, which is then used to justify the imposition of repressive measures by the state.

Source: The Express Tribune July 19, 2019 05:15 UTC