DO POPULISMO AUTORITÁRIO AO POPULISMO LIBERTÁRIO: A Diversidade dos Novos Populismo Contemporâenos (Ihering Guedes Alcoforado)

No livro Cultural Backlash: Trump, Brexit, and Authoritarian Populismo Pippa Norris e Ronald Inglehart formulam uma teoria geral para explicar como a polarização estabelecida a partir de uma clivagem cultural entre os liberais e conservadores sociais se traduz em apoio de líderes e partidos Populistas-Autoritários nos EUA e na Europa [1]. A teoria é o coração do livro e é apresentada como a história do cultural backlash:

“[…] the general theory that lies at the heart of this book. The story of the cultural backlash can be broken down logically into a series of sequential steps involving: (1) long-term social structural changes in the living conditions and security which successive generations experienced during their formative years; (2) the way these developments led to the silent revolution in cultural values; (3) the conservative backlash and authoritarian reflex that this stimulated; (4) medium-term economic conditions and rapid growth in social diversity accelerating the reaction; (5) how the conservative backlash drives voting support for Authoritarian Populist parties and leaders; (6) how votes translate into seats (and thus government offices) through electoral systems; and finally (7) the broader consequences of this phenomenon, including for the stability of established democracies and hybrid regimes, for party competition and the issue agenda, and for the civic culture. [ NORRIS & INGLEHART,2019:13/14]

O objetivo do livro de Pippa Norris e Ronald Inglehart é não só caracterizar o fenômeno, mas principalmente chamar atenção para as ameaças a democracia liberal e de como mitigar seus riscos. No que se refere ao fenômeno ele concebe o populismo como um estilo de retórica fundado na distinçao entre principios de primeira e segunda ordem:

“ […] as a style of rhetoric reflecting first-order principles about who should rule, claiming that legitimate power rests with ‘the people’ not the elites. It remains silent about second-order principles, concerning what should be done, what policies should be followed, what decisions should be made.4 The discourse has a chameleon-like quality which can adapt flexibly to a variety of substantive ideological values and principles, such as socialist or conservative populism, authoritarian or progressive populism, and so on.”[NORRIS & INGLEHART,

A partir das suas observações européias ele faz uma distinção entre dois tipos de populismo: i) o autoritário e o ii) libertário, caracterizando o último como .

“ […] social movements with a more progressive philosophy are less common but their support has also grown in recent years in several European states. These typically use populist discourse railing against corruption, mainstream parties, and multinational corporations but this is blended with the endorsement of socially liberal attitudes, progressive social policies, and participatory styles of political engagement. [NORRIS & INGLEHART,2019:10/11]

A mensagem do livro alinha-se com o entendimento de Margaret Canovan. (1999) na sua empatia com o populismo libertário:

“ We need to understand the roots of populist sentiments. They have the potential to be a force for good in the world when grassroots reform movements help reduce corruption, strengthen responsive governance, expand the issue agenda that are debated and the electoral choices on the ballot, and reengage participation among groups alienated by mainstream party politics.33 […] [NORRIS & INGLEHART,2019:461]

E opositora ao populismo autoritário, tendo como referência as observações de Cas Mude sobre o que se manifesta no Leste Europeu:

“ But authoritarian populism can also prove dangerous. When populist rhetoric is coupled with authoritarian values, emphasizing the importance of group conformity, security, and loyalty, this combination can generate a combustible mix that challenges the legitimate authority of institutions checking executive power, opening the door for rule by strongman leaders, social intolerance, and illiberal governance.[MUDDE, 2007]As Europe enters a significant phase of re-integration of East and West, it faces an increasing problem with the rise of far-right political parties. Cas Mudde offers the first comprehensive and truly pan-European study of populist radical right parties in Europe. He focuses on the parties themselves, discussing them both as dependent and independent variables. Based upon a wealth of primary and secondary literature, this book offers critical and original insights into three major aspects of European populist radical right parties: concepts and classifications; themes and issues; and explanations for electoral failures and successes. It concludes with a discussion of the impact of radical right parties on European democracies, and vice versa, and offers suggestions for future research. By undermining the legitimacy of the conventional power structures in democracies, and providing no effective channels for ‘the people’ to speak, populist language provides rich opportunities for demagogues to claim sweeping powers — ostensibly on behalf of the people.(CANOVAN, 2002:25–44)) [NORRIS & INGLEHART,2019:461]

Enfim,

“[…] the authoritarian reaction is motivated by a cultural backlash against growing ethnic diversity in multicultural Western societies, however, it requires another set of policy responses responding to issues such as Islamophobia, Euroscepticism, xenophobia, racial resentment, and fears from terrorist incidents. These are complex issues and the most obvious political response concerns immigration policies.” [NORRIS & INGLEHART,2019:464]

NOTAS

[1] Esta perspectiva é alinhada com a de Traverso (2019) e apresenta algumas afinidades com a de Empoli

BIBLIOGRAFIA

CANOVAN, Margaret., 1999. ‘Trust the people! Populism and the two faces of democracy.’ Political Studies 47: 2–16

CANOVAN, Margaret., 2002 Taking Politics to the People: Populism as the Ideology of Democracy IN Yves Mény and Yves Surel. Eds. 2002. Democracies and the Populist Challenge. Basingstoke: Palgrave, pp. 25–44

MUDDE, Cas., 2007 Populist Radical Right Parties in Europe. Cambridge University Press, 2007

MUDDE, Cas. 2017 On Extremism and Democracy in Europe. Routledge, 2017

MUDDE, Cas.., 2017 The Populist Radical Right: A Reader. Routledge, 2017

NORRIS, Pipa & INGLEHART, Ronald., 2019 Cultural Backlash: Trump, Brexit, and Authoritarian Populism. Cambridge University Press, 2019

TRAVERSO, Enzo., 2019 The New Faces of Fascism: Populism and the Far Right. Verso, 2019