Labour party leader Jeremy Corbyn speaks during the Labour economic conference at The Devonshire House Hotel in Liverpool. PAimages/Peter Byrne. All rights reserved.
After the electoral successes of Syriza and Podemos in Greece and Spain respectively, and the disturbing ascendancy of right-wing populist parties across Europe (and of course the US), social-democratic and left parties are in search of the recipe that will put them back on the political map of an increasingly conservative and xenophobic environment.
Let’s take France as an example. Emmanuel Macron’s anti-establishment call, even if unconvincing for some, has seen him poll as the most likely candidate to face Marine Le Pen in the presidential runoff. Macron isn’t the only French populist however; Benoit Hamon, the new leader of the Socialist Party, is also seen as having a ‘populist touch’.
