Thomas, your illuminating but dispiriting article 'How the Establishment Is Domesticating Populism' published in Compact and your assessment that "Romania’s recent electoral history illustrates the establishment’s two-tiered approach: suppress those who pose a real challenge, and elevate those who only pretend to. In doing so, it preserves its hold on power while adapting to an increasingly restive electorate." can equally be applied to Nigel Farage and the Reform party in the UK. The question is who can the European and Anglosphere publics look to in the political arena for providing a way out of this trap?
that's disappointing. I didn't know the inside - from the outside it looked like Georgescu and Simion were in the same party. Also the decision of the top court that overturned the EU's ousting of Georgescu - why isn't that being used ? Is there another run off where Simion and Georgescu will run against each other now ?
How corny it was to entertain a peace plan drafted by a flakey United States military man. Like the breakfast cereal itself, the Kellogg plan offered too little sustenance, flavour or fibre to even contemplate a second helping. Whether provoked or unprovoked into doing so.
There may be some truth to the thesis of the domestication of populism. I can attest it is becoming increasingly popular in Brussels circles. Overall I regard as an encouraging trend. I would say that the failure of Brexit - for once the economists’ predictions of a significant and permanent loss in output are proving uncannily accurate - has been contributing to the trend. The author never wastes an opportunity to sing the praise of Russia: I am afraid this detracts from the credibility of his message. As shown by the author’s example, one may briefly visit Russia for tasting «vodka and pickles». But, seriously, who wants to live there? Skilled Russians are the first to want to leave (see eg https://www.ifri.org/sites/default/files/migrated_files/documents/atoms/files/ifri_gudkov_inozemtsev_nekrasov_new_russian_diaspora_2024.pdf)
It kind of always was, he’s just a pre=worn pair of examination gloves being recycled by the MIC-IMATT. The POTUS admins, particularly in foreign affairs just blur, or rather smear one into another, but Trump 1 was, naturally, a large step up in money and arms flows to Ukraine.
Your takes on Romania, after yesterday's election, have proved almost entirely wrong. Georgescu lent his full support to Simion, who, as you have recently stated in Compact Magazine, was supposedly the establishment's preferred flavor of right winger. Yet he drew almost the exact base of support - and lost in what borders on a landslide. It turns out that Georgescu's base was locked in, and that he failed to garner much more support. Finally, an independent candidate who represents a break with the establishment, Nicusor Dan, has just been elected president. Though billed as a "centrist" by the news media, we Bucharest natives know him to be a reformer and a populist who has repeatedly taken on monied interests.
Your continued inability to acquaint yourself with the facts of Georgescu's disqualification speaks multitudes. If you wish to criticize a democracy not your own, at least read its constitution and its court's decisions.
thanks for the deeper analysis on the romanian fellow - Simion - disappointing, but not surprising.. as you note the conflict revolves around "opposition to globalist economic policies and military alliances such as NATO".. that is indeed the red line.. it isn't about being far right..
Thomas, your illuminating but dispiriting article 'How the Establishment Is Domesticating Populism' published in Compact and your assessment that "Romania’s recent electoral history illustrates the establishment’s two-tiered approach: suppress those who pose a real challenge, and elevate those who only pretend to. In doing so, it preserves its hold on power while adapting to an increasingly restive electorate." can equally be applied to Nigel Farage and the Reform party in the UK. The question is who can the European and Anglosphere publics look to in the political arena for providing a way out of this trap?
that's disappointing. I didn't know the inside - from the outside it looked like Georgescu and Simion were in the same party. Also the decision of the top court that overturned the EU's ousting of Georgescu - why isn't that being used ? Is there another run off where Simion and Georgescu will run against each other now ?
How corny it was to entertain a peace plan drafted by a flakey United States military man. Like the breakfast cereal itself, the Kellogg plan offered too little sustenance, flavour or fibre to even contemplate a second helping. Whether provoked or unprovoked into doing so.
There may be some truth to the thesis of the domestication of populism. I can attest it is becoming increasingly popular in Brussels circles. Overall I regard as an encouraging trend. I would say that the failure of Brexit - for once the economists’ predictions of a significant and permanent loss in output are proving uncannily accurate - has been contributing to the trend. The author never wastes an opportunity to sing the praise of Russia: I am afraid this detracts from the credibility of his message. As shown by the author’s example, one may briefly visit Russia for tasting «vodka and pickles». But, seriously, who wants to live there? Skilled Russians are the first to want to leave (see eg https://www.ifri.org/sites/default/files/migrated_files/documents/atoms/files/ifri_gudkov_inozemtsev_nekrasov_new_russian_diaspora_2024.pdf)
It kind of always was, he’s just a pre=worn pair of examination gloves being recycled by the MIC-IMATT. The POTUS admins, particularly in foreign affairs just blur, or rather smear one into another, but Trump 1 was, naturally, a large step up in money and arms flows to Ukraine.
Trump himself is a faux populist!
Your takes on Romania, after yesterday's election, have proved almost entirely wrong. Georgescu lent his full support to Simion, who, as you have recently stated in Compact Magazine, was supposedly the establishment's preferred flavor of right winger. Yet he drew almost the exact base of support - and lost in what borders on a landslide. It turns out that Georgescu's base was locked in, and that he failed to garner much more support. Finally, an independent candidate who represents a break with the establishment, Nicusor Dan, has just been elected president. Though billed as a "centrist" by the news media, we Bucharest natives know him to be a reformer and a populist who has repeatedly taken on monied interests.
Your continued inability to acquaint yourself with the facts of Georgescu's disqualification speaks multitudes. If you wish to criticize a democracy not your own, at least read its constitution and its court's decisions.
From your second article — “managed dissent”! The question is how long it could go on…..
thanks for the deeper analysis on the romanian fellow - Simion - disappointing, but not surprising.. as you note the conflict revolves around "opposition to globalist economic policies and military alliances such as NATO".. that is indeed the red line.. it isn't about being far right..