NATIONALIST POPULISM AND POST-COMMUNISM

In the case of government officials, or MPs representing the government, it is sometimes more difficult to distinguish whether or not their rhetoric is populist. Because of their responsibility towards international organisations and institutions, they cannot use the same language as the parties in the opposition. This was especially true in the pre-EU accession period, when the government representatives were being observed very carefully by international organisations, such as the EU. If a politician – for instance, the prime minister – speaks in the name of “the nation”, he is not necessarily viewed as a populist. But if he speaks in the name of one particular nation (or ethnic group) and relates the interests of this nation (ethnic group) to the interests of the state, he becomes suspected as being a populist. Once he declares that the representatives of other nations (ethnic groups) threaten the interests of his own respective nation (ethnic group) in order to convince the citizens that he is the true guardian of the interests of the nation, he will surely be labelled a populist. 2.3.2. Nationalist populism Let us go back to the metaphors of the pizza and the empty shell. These two metaphors imply that populism is viewed as a political style, rather than an ideology. The definition of populism as a style of politics fits with the concept of my thesis. It suggests that populism gains its ideological connotation only after it becomes interlinked with an ideology. As Ghita Ionescu and Ernest Gellner suggested in their pioneering work on populism, there exists a tendency for populism to be closely associated with, and sometimes to be absorbed by, stronger, more cohesive ideologies or movements, one of which is nationalism. 48 A combination of nationalism, which is understood as an ideology, and populism, viewed as a style of politics, creates a construct called national populism (or nationalist populism), which ties in very well with the purpose of this research study. Nationalist populist leaders exploit nationalism, which can be understood in terms of positive self-presentation, economic nationalism and animosity toward ethnic “others” in a populist way. Moreover, they address their statements to a particular ethnic group instead of to the country’s citizens. My understanding of nationalist populism is further explained in Scheme No. 1. Nationalist populismmight be perceived as a political style carrying a nationalist ideology, which contradicts the principles of liberal democracy and has significant mobilisation potential. 49 This mobilisation potential represents a challenge for the 48 E. Gellner, G. Ionesco (eds.) Populism. Its Meaning and National Characteristics . (The Macmillan Company, 1969), p. 4. 49 M. Zaremba, for instance, underlines the unique and large potential of nationalist ideology to mobilise the people, which makes it very attractive for the political elite. M. Zaremba Komunizm, legitimizacja, nacjonalizm. (Warszawa: Wydawnictwo Trio, 2001).

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