The Exploitation for Populist Purposes of Difficulties in the EU â An Important Problem of the EU

Sorin Bocancea

Jump to Content

Chapter 6 The Exploitation for Populist Purposes of Difficulties in the EU â An Important Problem of the EU

In: 2019 European Elections

Author:

Sorin Bocancea

Sorin Bocancea
Search for other papers by Sorin Bocancea in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed

Type:: Chapter

Pages:: 80â97

DOI:: https://doi.org/10.1163/9789004435148_008

Purchase instant access (PDF download and unlimited online access):

â¬42.00â¬35.00Â excl. VAT

Add to Cart

Redeem Access Token

Abstract

The European Union is currently facing a rise in populist messages. To analyze them in order to find solutions, it must be assumed that there is no substance or doctrinal core of populism, which is not an ideology, as is often advocated, but merely a propaganda technique that gathers people around a theme, towards electoral success. The topics on which populist technique is applied usually have a correspondent in reality, and the political establishment is able to come up with solutions. But these require time. Instead, the populist message proposes prompt solutions, even if their implementation is often contrary to democratic law and practice.

Prior to the creation of the EU, anti-system movements, stemming from populist messages, concerned merely national systems and elites. In EU countries, these movements also target EU political system and elites. Thus, the populist messages are automatically dressed up in anti-Europeanism, although they originated in issues under the competence of the national elites or in invented problems (as happened with Brexit).

Populism does not generate unprecedented cleavages, but exploits, by radicalizing them, the existing ones. Currently there are no real material conditions for generating large anti-system movements in the EU (poor living conditions, conflicts between countries, emancipation movements, etc.), but there are more and more diverse media and many citizens have access to them (necessary conditions), and, paradoxically, there is sufficient ignorance of these citizens (sufficient condition) for a leader or a political formation to generate anti-system movements. And this happens under conditions of technicalization of politics and depoliticization of public life, phenomena that have weakened the links between the elite and the masses.

The rise of populism in European political life cannot be tackled through an equally populist counteroffensive, but by re-establishing the communication between elites and the masses in each member country, with its specific problems. In parallel, European leaders need to descend into the agora, but first we have to shape a European agora where European citizens can perceive that actual problems are being debated with actual effects. Because populism is a communication phenomenon, it must be counteracted in the field of communication. The EU and the Member States must establish institutions that would monitor the media and promptly sanction the distribution of fake news. At the same time, it is necessary to have a Europe-wide communication strategy, as well as to establish public EU television and radio networks, broadcasting in all the EU official languages. Thus, the maneuvering space of political actors who issue populist messages will become tighter.

Citation Info

Save
Cite
Email this content

Share link with colleague or librarian

You can email a link to this page to a colleague or librarian:
Email this content
or copy the link directly:

https://brill.edhh.ma/abstract/book/9789004435148/BP000008.xml
The link was not copied. Your current browser may not support copying via this button.

Link copied successfully

Collapse
Expand

2019 European Elections

The EU Party Democracy and the Challenge of National Populism

Series:Â International Studies in Sociology and Social Anthropology, Volume: 134

E-Book ISBN:: 9789004435148

Publisher:: Brill

Print Publication Date:: 21 Sep 2020

Subjects
- Social Sciences

Front Matter

Back Matter

Metrics

	All Time	Past 365 days	Past 30 Days
Abstract Views	263	110	8
Full Text Views	4	0	0
PDF Views & Downloads	6	1	0

African Studies	Education	Media Studies
American Studies	History	Middle East and Islamic Studies
Ancient Near East and Egypt	Human Rights and Humanitarian Law	Musicology
Art History	International Law	Philosophy
Asian Studies	International Relations	Religious Studies
Biblical Studies	Jewish Studies	Slavic and Eurasian Studies
Biology	Languages and Linguistics	Social Sciences
Book History and Cartography	Life Sciences	Theology and World Christianity
Classical Studies	Literature and Cultural Studies

Subjects

Authors

Open Access

Product Information

Company

Contact

Chapter 6 The Exploitation for Populist Purposes of Difficulties in the EU â An Important Problem of the EU

Abstract

Citation Info

Share link with colleague or librarian

2019 European Elections

The EU Party Democracy and the Challenge of National Populism

Table of Contents

Metrics

Metrics

Chapter 6 The Exploitation for Populist Purposes of Difficulties in the EU â An Important Problem of the EU