It goes without saying that the global stage has seen huge amounts of political turbulence over recent years. The rise of right-wing populism has manifested itself in support for political movements like Trump, Le Pen and Farage. Brexit has likewise carried major implications for right-left polarization. Many socioeconomic factors are at play in the context of this growing support within nation states; what are the dominant influences and themes underpinning this evolving political horizon?
The election of Donald Trump was, for many of us, an unforeseen event. Narratives surrounding the success of Trump tend to highlight the concepts of rife class and racial divisions in the US, as well historic dissatisfaction with the Establishment. Clearly, a shift away from the liberal politics of Obama materialized itself, and we can justifiably wonder why on earth this is; why have an apparently enlightened electorate chosen a business celebrity to take charge of America’s executive political reins? What is most interesting about the Trump case is the fact that a man with a highly nationalist agenda has achieved the position of President-elect in a country founded on constitutional values of inclusiveness and liberalism; clearly, the democrats fell short of the mark in terms of effective, pragmatic solutions in their rhetoric to win over a plurality. The electoral race saw Trump appealing to national concerns inherent to much of the population's political fears; the subject of over-immigration, terrorism and talk of a return to America’s ‘greatness’ were all spark factors in the development of Donald Trump’s hero-like image of a supposed 'man of the people'.
A significant factor in Trump – and indeed Le Pen’s – rising support has been a disenchantment with the current status quo and the left-wing sphere of the political spectrum. It has been argued that the left have become far too ideological to even begin to convince citizens of their potential for an effective, practical government of a polity. Much of the dialogue has ascribed the withering of liberal democratic support to the weakening stance of left-wing movements; what do the left represent in today’s world, if anything? From Euroscepticism to outright nationalism, the habit of the left in shutting down so-called racist, fascist and dictatorial agendas has only served as a painful shot in the proverbial liberal foot. It is perhaps no wonder that the Western world has moved towards a more right-wing political mood when much of the leftist dialogue centers around the belittling of right-wing parties with their ‘antiquated’ policy manifestos.
Another key factor in this increasingly polarized political landscape is the social gap between the highly-educated echelons of society and the uneducated, somewhat marginalized classes. This disparity has produced growing waves of resentment, frustration and anger from the people ‘at the bottom’, who have felt rising neglect and decreased representation in party politics. Considering this, it is evident why right-wing populism is increasingly on the cards for several nation states; socialist and democratic parties have, somewhat ironically, offered very little to these societal groups that feel marginalized and even patronized. Indeed, when the British people chose their destiny on June 23rd, it was analogous to a large stone being overturned, revealing negative sentiments among many citizens which have built up from a widespread disenchantment with the current political regime.
Having lived through Brexit and a Trump victory, it wouldn’t be necessarily shocking if Le Pen does indeed succeed in being elected by the French people. Skepticism and disenchantment seem to be the two centrifugal forces pushing out of Europe towards the rest of the world. For what remains of the left-wing political movements, it is clear that they need to come up with better tactics than mere ad hominem disdain; to reach a balance of oppositions, we need less ideological rhetoric, and more practical measures to gain back those sadly fading supporters of political liberalism.