Amy Gregg | The Left Must NOT Reclaim Populism (2/6) | Oxford Union

*The speaker in this video is a competitive debater, and therefore the views expressed may not necessarily represent their beliefs.*

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Second-year graduate student reading for an MPhil in Law at Somerville College and Treasurer at the Oxford Union.

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[noneone.............]

We need to recognice exactly the differences between populism and privilege ! I think that's a point ! Girl 🇬🇧♥️

[RuleRsofTheGame]

It is not solely populists who invest too much emotion into politics. The political and aspiring political establishment that you are a constituent of often invests heaps of emotion into decision making and when reaching conclusions. This is especially evident concerning the casting of judgement on people that you do not understand and whom you often out of ignorance misinterpret and mislabel. An example of this would be the phenomenon where an accuser charges the person they disagree with on the subject of immigration of xenophobia or racismt because they hold a view contrary to the advocation of open borders. It's universally accepted in everyday mainstream discourse for one to state without fear of repercussion that they are for open borders since adoping such a position is considered part and parcel of being "nice person" after all.

 Yet in a civilised society that strives towards equality and that calls itself free it should also in fairness be acceptable to discuss the diametrically opposed position to open borders. That being the advocation of closed borders. The problem with advocating the latter is that more often than not those advocating it or even any semblance of an advocation of increased border scrutiny are have been in many instances automatically in a knee jerk manner accused by some and especially those on the left of being ideologically motivated by xenophobia and racism. Accusations that are often leveled without even a second thought as to actually considering why that person may have adopted that position at all, or considering having a civil discussion about the topic. And it's because this type of recation is usually highly emotionally charged. Yet this type of interaction is rather common place in todays Western world and seemingly prevalent in and contingent to the established political order.

I suspect that most people engaging in the political process either directly via ballot, through party membership or in online discussion on social media platforms are likely do so because they have a keen interest in and passion for politics. And as a resutl of this interest and passion have developed at least to varying extents some degree of emotional attachment with and enagement towards politics. And putting populism aside. You should also recognise that the politics that you advocate for is not immune to the whims of emotionally driven political discourse that encourages a hysterical and corrosive non constructive attitude towards those you disagree with. Even as I type this the emotionally driven neoliberal corporate political consensus is encroaching on freedom of expression by smothering freedom of speech, paved with good stated intentions. The road to hell they say.

[wesha]

What do you mean populism seeks to divide, immigration a tool etc. Populism is the reaction to bad policy made by previous rulers. In what world was Obama not a populist, was he right wing?


There is a divide between state policy and what people and I think this goes for most western countries, really want. No one is pretending, it's a symptom of the rift created by incompetent politicians and policy.


Ow youre lying, .... If these politicians are so competent, why is there more productivity but is in most western countries half of the people if not more worse of? As if the extreme mobility of capital and free money for stock markets and their investors was unforseen. BS, politicians failed the populus by allowing how the financial crisis was handled, not the other way around.

[johnerwin-inprogress]

I'm not sure she really knows what she's talking about. You can go so far with reading books on social constructs. But at some point, for any argument to be made successfully, you need to live amongst your peers. And they, however distasteful you think they are within your social circle, are working people from the bottom up. Collectivism will always trump conceptional fear mongering and elitist isolationism.

[dontrustyourheart]

I'm surprised she was allowed to speak.

[noneone.............]

I think populism is not popular at this global era ! 🇬🇧♥️