Elite Populism and Public Choice in Australia and Canada
In a number of western democracies such as Australia and Canada populism is increasing its impact on public discourse. Populism seeks to mobilise opposition to elites in the name of the people – argues Marian Sawer, in this paper presented at the Us and Them workshop – focusing on betrayal of the national interest by city-based elites with cosmopolitan loyalties and liberal values. It seeks to displace other cognitive frames, such as the class divide between labour and capital or the gender, race and cultural divides around which new social movements have mobilised.
· Us and Them [Political Science Program, Australian National University (PDF file) ]
