When economic anxiety and socio-cultural issues intertwine, such as immigration and the loss of sovereignty, populist leaders outperform mainstream politicians. They are able to translate the experiences and problems of the voters into an understandable language of us versus them. Overwhelmed and desperate to remain in office, most governments and candidates end up normalising their extremist adversaries.
These are dangerous waters. Interests are malleable and the right message, framing and promises can shape what people perceive as fundamental. News can quickly transform into television shows, with their heroes, villains and never-ending narratives. Public order and security can, over time, become more important than human rights and the freedom of the press. Democracy can slowly descend into authoritarianism. And there is little we can do about it if we keep playing a game that we do not know how to win.
Reshaping democracy
The rules of the game dictate neither silence nor apathy. Reclaiming citizen’s trust calls for seizing the initiative. Mainstream parties must stop reacting to the solutions presented by far-right parties and start challenging their premises. Distrust builds on economic inequality, and it must be addressed by developing a realistic and innovative agenda to lower unemployment, protect the environment and curb tax avoidance schemes. As for journalists, they must report about populists with responsibility, accuracy and fairness, helping citizens to understand the societies they live in order to make the correct choices. Echoing Camus, the public does not want to know what Donald Trump eats for breakfast and how many times he tweets, but it has been taught for three years to want it. And that is not the same thing.
Defeating far-right politicians is a global struggle. And the next chance to provide a different answer is materialising in a small country across the Atlantic. Portugal was, until October, one of the few countries in Europe where far-right parties were not a foreseeable threat. Notwithstanding, this once exemplary country elected its first far-right representative two months ago. And André Ventura, its leader, is already omnipresent in public discourse. As it happened in Spain and the United States, magnified media coverage has created a larger-than-life character that has, not the votes to shape politics, but wields the influence to monopolise headlines and build a support base. Politicians have not done a better job. Instead of exposing his contradictions and opportunism, they opted for singling him out and strengthened the perception that the establishment is ought to get him. The result is not surprising – the support for the far-right has already doubled according to voting intention polls.
Politicians and journalists should think twice about their approach. There is an opportunity to adjust our diagnosis and come up with a different solution. A chance to revive civic debate, advance social justice and address people´s grievances. Democracy is not a one-time event – it needs to keep moving forward and get better with time. If we elude our responsibility when it comes to breathing new life into the values that sustain it, our democracies will eventually collapse.
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