Why right-wing populism won. And what’s next

Grant and Joe had me back for a “sequel” appearance on their Rabble Report podcast — moving on from the failures of left-wing populism to the successes of right-wing populism.

The episode examines whether today’s populist parties reflect a broader social movement or function instead as scavengers capitalising on the political hollowing-out of the establishment, in part through a discussion of Roger Eatwell & Matthew Goodwin’s ahead-of-the-curve 2018 book, National Populism: The Revolt Against Liberal Democracy.

The conversation moves through questions of sovereignty, nationalism, fascism, socialism, and democracy, drawing on party-systems theory, empirical research on voter attitudes, and historical comparisons with interwar Europe.

Along the way, the discussion interrogates common assumptions about ideological radicalisation, voter motivation, and the capacity of populist parties to govern once in power.

We situate these questions within the broader debate about why political systems appear increasingly disconnected from the people they claim to represent.

Here’s the YouTube link:

And the Spotify link: