populist

[Prof. R. Sussex]

I am interested in the word "populist". In the OED it has a good 19c
liberal genealogy. But nowadays it seems to be applied to right-wing
politicians like Le Pen. And the usage with Le Pen is definitely
pejorative, certainly in the recent French use in the media. With the
rise of the new right in Europe, this usage will presumably continue
to increase.

A colleague in S. Africa reports that it is used there to mean "to
the left of the ANC's current position" and "unsanctioned".

Generally modern usage seems to imply "pandering to simplistic views
in the electorate" and on the right of politics.

Does anyone have examples, quotations or information on the recent use of this?

Roly Sussex

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Roly Sussex
Professor of Applied Language Studies
Department of French, German, Russian, Spanish and Applied Linguistics
School of Languages and Comparative Cultural Studies
The University of Queensland
Brisbane
Queensland 4072
AUSTRALIA

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