"Any sensible, democratic politician would want to be popular and to espouse popular policies.  Yet the term “populist” is seen of one of abuse rather than praise.  It is seen as undignified and insufficiently high-minded... This condescension is part of the problem of modern politics and is why Popular Conservatism – PopCon for short – is necessary".

Conservative Home: 6th February 2024: Article on Conservative Home authored by Rt Hon Sir Jacob Rees Mogg MP

"Currently across the world, there is a feeling that the elected are out of touch with the elector. Protests in France, Germany and Brussels in recent weeks illustrate this, as does the election results in Holland, the phenomenon of Donald Trump and the election of Giorgia Meloni in Italy and of Javier Milei in Argentina.  Voters are seeking something different because they feel let down and ignored.

The rise of an international, barely accountable, governing elite is at the heart of this – remote bodies that agree righteous policies without deigning to consider the cost.  This could be the IMF imposing its will on poor nations, or the climate change boffins telling nations at the COP to close down their economies.  They do this with no risk of elections, in the certainty of their own beneficence.

...

"The elected representative retains responsibility, but has lost power – and this is the fundamental challenge that underlines PopCon.  Democracy needs reinvigorating to provide the policies that people want and which will make them better off.  It also returns choice to voters, how you vote will determine how you are governed.  The power of the bureaucracy currently limits the change that is possible.

 READ FULL ARTICLE HERE