Populism is nothing more and nothing less than the voice of people speaking out against the ruling elite, according to researchers Koen van Bommel (VU Amsterdam) and Manuel Hensmans (ULB). In itself, the concept is not necessarily negative. What is important is that that voice is listened to—otherwise, resentment arises. People who don’t feel heard look for other ways to express their dissatisfaction. And that, according to the researchers, can manifest itself in the toxic form of populism. This is why the Dutch elections of recent years saw big gains for extreme right-wing parties such as Forum for Democracy (FvD) and the Party for Freedom (PVV). Slowly but surely, an ‘us–them’ feeling emerges on both sides of the political spectrum. Left and right end up diametrically opposed, which only increases the polarisation in a country.
Another recent example is Brexit, where for years many Britons felt ignored by the elites in parliament. The perfect storm of factors arose that led to the people voting in favour of Brexit.
In short, politicians need to be interested. They need to listen to the people and know how to deal with conflicts in society. Then we have nothing to fear from populist parties, which are necessary to represent the interests of part of the population. After all, everybody wants to be heard.