Insights
On borrowed calm
Anger over socio-economic issues has propelled populist parties to prominence in countries like Australia, Britain, and Germany, while New Zealand’s political landscape remains more stable due to moderate forces.
Populism
Newsroom
New purge to give totalitarian control of police, schools, prison, bureaucracy of German state
The Alternative for Germany (AfD) aims to fundamentally reshape German governance by purging civil servants deemed misaligned, threatening democratic norms while mainstream parties also undermine established rules amid rising discontent.
Newsroom
Voters Hungary for change: It’s the economy, stupid
Hungary’s Premier Orbán faces challenges as economic issues and corruption allegations threaten his regime. Péter Magyar’s TISZA party gains support, promising reforms while highlighting the struggles of ordinary citizens amidst rising prices.
Newsroom
To stop megaphone populists triumphing, we need unlikely left-right alliance
The Mont Pelerin Society, often misunderstood as conspiratorial, actually advocates for classical liberalism, emphasising the need to protect democracy and open society against the rise of populism and authoritarianism.
Quadrant
The Warmth of the Herd
Voters are losing patience with democratic process, sliding from civilisation’s hard order back into the comfortable order of the tribe. Thinking in principles is hard; belonging feels good.
Newsroom
It’s Trump’s defenders, not detractors, who have ‘Derangement Syndrome’
The Kremlin’s propaganda undermines democratic discourse in New Zealand, as Trump defenders echo Russian narratives. This threatens Western security and illustrates the decline of conservative principles in politics.
Uncategorised
Wanted: A counter-populism strategy
It is too simplistic to only warn of populism. Populist messages may be distasteful, ill-informed or just plain wrong. But they are only symptoms of an underlying malaise of Western democracies.