ABSTRACT

In 2016, the striking electoral success of the UK Vote Leave campaign and Donald Trump’s presidential bid defied conventional expectations and transformed the political landscape. Considered together, these two largely unpredicted events constitute a defining moment in the process of the incorporation of far-right populist discourse in mainstream politics.

This timely book argues that there has been a change in the fundamental dynamic of the mainstreaming of far-right populist discourse. In recent elections, anti-establishment actors have rewritten the playbook, defeated the establishment and redefined political norms. They have effectively outplayed, overtaken and trumped mainstream parties and policies.

As fringe discourse becomes mainstream, how we conceive of the political landscape and indeed the very distinction between a political centre and periphery has been challenged. This book provides new theoretical tools and empirical analyses to understand the ongoing mainstreaming of far-right populism. Offering case studies and comparative research, it analyses recent political events in the US, UK, France and Belgium. This book is essential reading for scholars and students of populism and far-right politics who seek to make sense of recent world-altering events.

chapter |20 pages

Introduction

Populism in the twenty-first century: from the fringe to the mainstream

part I|142 pages

Changing strategies in the PRR political landscape

chapter 1|31 pages

The mainstreaming of far-right extremism online and how to counter it

A case study on UK, US and French elections

chapter 2|41 pages

Populisms in Europe

Leftist, rightist, centrist and paternalist–nationalist challengers

chapter 3|17 pages

Populist nationalism and ontological security

The construction of moral antagonisms in the United Kingdom, Switzerland and Belgium

chapter 4|18 pages

Left, right, but no in-between

Explaining American polarisation and post-factualism under President Trump

chapter 5|15 pages

Paving the way for Trump

The Tea Party’s invisible influence on the 2016 election

chapter 6|18 pages

“Ni droite, Ni gauche, Français!”

Far right populism and the future of Left/Right politics

part II|108 pages

The impact of the PRR on mainstream politics

chapter 8|19 pages

The weight of negativity

The impact of immigration perceptions on the Brexit vote

chapter 9|18 pages

From soft to hard Brexit

UKIP’s not so invisible influence on the Eurosceptic radicalisation of the Conservative Party since 2015

chapter 10|24 pages

So close, yet so far

The French Front National and Les Républicains (2007–2017)

chapter 11|25 pages

There’s something about Marine

Strategies against the far right in the 2017 French presidential elections