Rather than pretending to offer benefits for all and legitimizing the populist utopia of a “general will”, parties should present clear visions and programs but also be open and honest about the pros and cons for various groups of the population. Moreover, they should explain why they believe these choices benefit the broader society – while accepting that this, inevitably, depends on their own ideological assumptions. [...]
Just as scholars and students tend to want to solve problems through education, activists and politicians almost always call for more participation and politics. The problem is that many people don’t want to devote more time to politics, and this is particularly true for supporters of (radical right) populist parties. What they really want is to be properly represented. [...]
Making social media more like “legacy media”, as the report calls it, would make populist supporters less visible, but it won’t change their opinions. This policy didn’t work in the late 20th century, when a fairly tightly controlled media landscape was fiercely protected by gatekeepers and self-censorship, so why would it work in the anarchic world of social media?
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