Saturday, January 9, 2010

Is Populism a Good Thing?

TW: Some folks regard populism as a great thing and a pure manifestation of "democractic ideals". To me populism is an angry, somewhat incoherent reflection of frustration whose cures would in most cases be worse than the diseases. Yet when normal political structures atrophy and begin to sputter, populism emerges as a key dynamic.

From Paul Kedrosky's blog:
"To me the popular will is like the ocean. It may carry you far. Ignore it - its currents, its lulls and its storms - at your peril. But always distrust it. Learn when to fight it, when to run with it and when to stay in port when a storm blows over."
-- Mathew Paris (The Times, May 26, 2007)

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