Ineptitude of the establishment more to blame for the mess than populism

A journalist holds a poster with portraits of Russian President Vladimir Putin, France’s far-right National Front president Marine Le Pen and US president-elect Donald Trump during a protest in Moscow last week. Photo: AP

Establishment politicians lost control of the political narrative this year and have decided to blame populism for their weakening grasp on power.

In the UK and the US, Brexit and the election of Donald Trump have resulted in an earthquake that shook the tectonic plates of a previously stable political system beyond all recognition.

Unable or unwilling to explain the magnitude of their loss by criticising their own miserable performances throughout both campaigns, establishment politicians have settled on populism as the root cause of their woes.

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