JOHN FUND: The Longer Elites Ignore Populist Outcries, the More They’ll Be Surprised.

During the discussions, it became clear that much of the conventional media wisdom about populism in Europe is out of date. British academic David Goodhart noted that populist parties are generally portrayed in the media “as little more than a refuge for bigots, Rust Belt rejects, victims of the Great Recession, and angry old white men.”

In reality, the vote for Brexit in Britain took place as unemployment was at its lowest rate since the 1970s. Goodhart noted that Nigel Farage and his Brexit Party draw the bulk of their support from a diverse alliance of skilled workers, middle-class Conservatives, affluent pensioners, and the self-employed. Switzerland’s People’s Party often places first in elections in a country with one of the highest per capita incomes in the world.

Similarly, the hostility of populist movements toward immigration is misunderstood. While certainly racists who oppose immigration often cast their votes for populist parties, it would be foolish to ignore the many populist voters who believe that the EU has prevented their countries from undertaking legitimate steps to control the pace and scale of immigration. Dismissing these voters as yahoos or white supremacists doesn’t help anyone understand why people are angry at their leaders.

Much of that anger stems from the fact that an educated elite increasingly controls the political process in Europe.

I’d quibble with the premise that they’re being ignored. Far from it. The elites are using every means at their disposal to paint populists as hate-filled bitter clingers, whose wishes ought to be ignored.

It’s a powder keg situation, and the elites are playing with matches — which they’ve mistaken for fire extinguishers.