Excess Democracy?
Liberal democracy is under fire. Crucially, and most dangerously, it is under fire from both sides of the political divide. The lead-up to the election of Trump and Britain’s vote to leave the EU captured one side of this, whilst the aftermath captured the other. It is difficult to add much to the discussion around the rise of populism. The literature on populist opposition to liberal democracy is extensive. The narrative generally goes that working-class disillusionment with the status quo created fertile ground for the Trumps and Farages of the world. Globalisation and inequality polarised society, and those who felt without a voice seized the opportunity to make themselves heard. Though this over-simplifies the issue by treating the “white working class” as one homogenous group and drawing a few too many parallels between the US election and the UK’s referendum, it generally holds that those who felt marginalised by the status quo sought alternatives. More
