The Real Reasons Populism Is Taking Over

The Real Reasons Populism Is Taking Over

From The Rest Is Politics by Goalhanger

April 2, 2026 · 20 min

About this episode

The episode explores the appeal of populism and its impact on governance through a discussion with MP Liam Byrne.

What is populism, and why is it so attractive to voters? Which human instincts do populists tap into to get votes? And what does a populist-led country look like? Alastair is joined by Liam Byrne, MP who served in both Blair and Brown's government, and who has been conducting deep research into the rise of populism. To hear the full episode, sign up at therestispolitics.com Instagram: ⁠@restispolitics⁠ Twitter: ⁠@restispolitics⁠ Email: ⁠therestispolitics@goalhanger.com⁠ __________ Social Producer: Celine Charles Video Editor: Kieron Leslie Producer: India Dunkley Exec Producer: Tom Whiter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

People in this episode

Host: Alastair

Guest: Liam Byrne

Topics covered

  • populism
  • voter attraction
  • human instincts
  • political landscape
  • government

Keywords

  • populism
  • voters
  • politics
  • government
  • human instincts
  • Liam Byrne
  • Alastair

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Blair, Brown, Goalhanger

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