Essays Contents

Populism

May 15, 2024



description:
"The Oxford Union is the world's most prestigious debating society with a tradition of hosting internationally prominent individuals across politics, academia, and popular culture. Founded in 1823 at a time when The University of Oxford restricted students from discussing certain topics, The Union continues to uphold the principle of free speech through the exchange and debate of a wide range of ideas and opinions, presented by a diverse range of speakers - some inspiring, others controversial. As we celebrate 200 years of free speech during our Bicentenary year of 2023, we reaffirm our commitment to our integral values and also our belief that the discussion of complex topics should not only be encouraged but is an essential element of any free society."




Definition of "populism"
Populism is a political approach that strives to appeal to ordinary people
who feel that their concerns are disregarded by established elite groups.

On April 25, 2024 Nancy Pelosi was the guest at the Oxford Union.
There were six speakers and the question debated was:
"This House Believes Populism is a Threat to Democracy."
Pelosi debated on the "Yeah" team as the fifth speaker.
Here are the 10-15 minute speeches.

"Populists offer simple solutions that fall short of solving complex problems"
"yeah" says Rachel Haddad 1/6

"Populism is democratic, it's the checks & balances that fail us"
"nay" says Sultan Khokhar 2/6

"Populism is a threat to democracy & the greatest challenge of our times"
"yeah" argues Oli Dugmore 3/6

"Populism is a foundational element of democracy, manipulated by demagogues"
"nay" argues Oscar Whittle 4/6

"Populism is a threat to democracy due to voters being manipulated"
"yeah" Nancy Pelosi argues 5/6

"Populism is not a threat to democracy, but rather is democracy itself"
"nay" Winston Marshall argues 6/6




and Winston Marshall debates many other subjects
"The Winston Marshall Show"
YT channel



Pelosi transcript:
"Good evening thank you all very much for this very stimulating evening.
Mr President congratulations to you and your officers for bringing us together
to discuss this very important challenge.

The proposition says that it is a threat to democracy.
It didn't say it will cause it. It said it is a threat, so remember what the proposition is.

Now listened attentively to our two friends here in their Pro uh description of of uh populism and our white tie and tail gentleman and his comments and you know what they make a very compelling argument. It have been so appropriate 200 years ago in the time of Andrew Jackson. It's an old notion of of of of of of populism.

For today (I always like to put down temporal markers)... for today what populism how populism weighs in is in a way that is different. Volar said if you want to debate with me, define your terms. Well, let's define what is happening with populism today.

Populism is sprung on some of the people that have been named here put forth with an ethno nationalist populism that in our country we see nationalism isolationism We had to fight to get the bill that we got last week. And generated by an ethnic negativity. Negativity about incumbent of um immigrants yeah incumbents to immigrants people who are different from them these people and the rest.

Our problem with I don't think mob rule is a definition of democracy.
What is democracy. Let's define democracy. Democracy is the rule of law. Democracy is free and fair elections. Democracy is about independent Judiciary. It's about freedom of the press to have transparency and to have uh accountability of elected officials to to the people. It's about all of that and that is everything that the populist regime in Washington DC is against.

Populism is no thank you populism is about fighting the ethno nationalistic populism as is the threat to democracy is about threatening a what they call Elites. A free press no thanks Free Press it's about of of fighting issues that relate to free and fair elections where we have voter suppression to the nth degree under this regime and resistance to to passing the Voting Rights Act the John Lewis act all of that because they want to contain who votes.

Now the issue of independent judiciary. We owe so much to the UK or England as it was when it put forth so many things at runn me England and one of them was trial by jury. When King John came the Barons who were there were tw they had 12 chairs. And what sprang from that was a jury of your peers 12 peers, and that sprang from uh the Magna Carta and something that we hold dear in our country.

Right now we see uh trial by jury threatened by vicious um assaults on the jurors... on the jurors. So when we talk about populism and we talk about democracy let's understand our terms today not 200 years ago... but today. And if you are humored by some of the Ted Cruz and people like that... that may be humorous to you but it ain't funny to us because it has a direct impact on what's happening.

Now here's the thing that is so sad about all of this. These people who are populist and go out there and make all these claims take advantage of people who have legitimate economic concerns. In this day and age people are concerned and some of you heard me say this before are concerned about innovation. How are they how are they and their families going to thrive and survive economically in a new era of innovation.

They're concerned about globalization. They're concerned about immigration. They're concerned about anything new because it's not the familiar to them. And so along comes a snake oil salesman... sells them a bill of goods and then takes office and the only legislation put forth is a bill that gives a tax bill that gives 83% of the benefits to the top 1%... that has legislation to take away their health care.

If that isn't enough for you, when we prolonged when we didn't have the bill to go give aid to Ukraine and and the rest, the speaker said to me
"I can't do it until I do the the budget bill." What was holding up the budget bill...? after giving a $2 trillion tax cut to the wealthiest 1% in our country...? 2 trillion dollars added to the national debt... unpaid for.

The big issue that held us up at the end was something called WIC... food for women infant and CH infants and children for small for new families. We can't afford to give that food. It's going to add to the national debt. That that's what these purveyors of populism sold a bill of goods to these people who grasped it because they had legitimate concerns... concerns that have to be respected and they have to be addressed.

But the fact is that democracy... can since your 200 year ago version about Andrew Jackson and all that... so much has happened that our distinguished person I don't know your name but thank you for your pro argument... we've seen demagogues come down the pike... destroy the Press. What is what is the what do the Republicans say fake news. So they're diminishing that in the eyes of these poor souls who are looking for some answers.

We've given them to them but they're blocked by some of their views on guns and they have the three G's guns Gays God that would be a woman's right to choose and and the cultural issues cloud some of their reception reception of an argument that really is in their interest.

I don't agree with you that people... we don't accuse people of not knowing what they're doing. They know what they not their personal interest is. We respect that. But the fact is that using ethno whether it's people different from me, nationalism populism is a very dangerous threat to to democracy... not just in America where we're seeing it play out... but in the whole world... in the context of a fight between democracy and autocracy our our not our not mine but the version of populism ethno nationalist populism which tries to bring down education and fake news the media which is a protector of democracy... that version is contributing in countries other than our country and is a danger to democracy.

We think democracy isn't a ballot in America it's a b a victory that we must win because it will only make matters worse if they have another stay at at what they're doing to the courts in our country that the fear that they're instilling and jurist in our country the suppression of the vote in our country the role of their big dark Rich billionaire donors who don't want to pay taxes suffocating the Airways from the fossil fuel industry and the gun industry and the rest of that.

So money and and populism sadly have gone together with this ethno nationalist anti- what they call Elite which we call education free press and the rest. So I urge you to think in terms of the word says it's a threat. You're going to deny that it's a threat to democracy in the versions that have emerged that have emerged in America so clearly...?

And why does everybody here say to me "what happens if he gets elected?"
Well I can't let that happen because for us this is election is Washington Crossing the Delaware. This is about a democratic... no offense to the Brits no offense to the Brits... but the fact is also that what happened here at running me the Magna Carta yes the the first Parliament and the rest of that has a great contribution to democracy in the world.

But our country was founded on the principle that all people are created equal. A Dem a con a constitution that tried to implement that wasn't perfect from the beginning but they were able to amend it to end slavery and all the other remnants of what came before.

But populism in the version of Andrew Jackson which was described here is not the threat that we are talking about here... that's part of it but the fact that's so sad is a misrepresentation of people who exploit the populist attitude of I want to I want to have my say and then use it to get elected and then hurt those people the most... hurt those people the most with it as I say unfair taxation... unfair distribution of resources. A budget should be a statement of our national values instead it's a vehicle to put more money in the pockets of his contributors.

And on top of all of that taking away health care and the rest by lying about it all... that's about deaths this and abortion. It's not about any of that so if there could be truth in their message I think that people would react differently because they would know quite clearly how it affects them in their lives where they know better than anybody their kitchen table concerns on how they can pay the bills... educate their children... save for retirement... pay the rent and the rest of that.

So my friends... this is interesting academically intellectually and the rest but on the ground on the ground populism as the version that we see now is a threat to democracy. That's really hard to deny.

I was eager to hear their arguments, but what I heard could have been made 200 years ago and not facing the realities that we see. So I urge you all to vote in favor of the proposition. And again with respect for the presentations that we had and really Sultan I was ready to vote for you for one of those positions. I really was but I'm not sure now because I don't know that you could possibly believe the presentation.

I know this is academic so maybe you believe it. I respect that but what I do respect is our democracy and just tell you one more thing. I'm from Baltimore Maryland where our national anthem was written by Francis Scot Key and he wrote a beautiful thing in the in the national anthem and it's our motivation right now in some of our our campaigning. He said... proof through the night that our flag was still there.
Proof through the night that our flag was still there.
We have to prove through the night of this election that our flag is still there... a flag that we pledge to every Civic day with liberty and justice for all and that is not... that is supporting democracy... supporting our flag and all it stands for. And it is threatened by this version of populism that exists today please vote "aye." Thank you.




My note:
Winston Marshall's presentation... the final speaker
(too much work to edit at this time.)

I now look to Mr Winston
Marshall to close the case for the
opposition

ladies and gentlemen words have a tendency to
change meaning
when I was a boy woman
meant someone who didn't have a cock

populism has become a word used
synonymously we've racists we've heard
ethnonationalist we've bigot with
hillbilly redneck with
deplorables Elites use it to show their
contempt for ordinary
people this is a recent
change not long ago Barack Obama while
still president at the North America
North America's leaders Summit in June
2016 he took umbrage with the notion
that Trump be called a populist how
could Trump be called a populist he
doesn't care about working people if
anything Obama argued he was the
populist if anything Obama argued Bernie
was the populist it was Bernie who spent
five decades fighting for working people
but Trump something curious happens if you
watch Obama's speeches after that point
more and more recently he uses the word populist
interchangeably with strong man with
authoritarian the word changes meaning
it becomes a negative a pejorative a slur to me
populism is not a dirty word since the
2008 crash and specifically the trillion
dollar Wall Street
bailout we are in the populist age and
for good reason the elites have
failed let me address some common
fallacies some of which have been made
tonight if the motion was that
demagoguery was a threat to democracy I
would be on that side of the house if
the motion was that political violence
was a threat to democracy I'd be on that
side of the house January 6 has been
mentioned a dark day for America indeed
and I'm sure Congresswoman Pelosi will
agree that the entire month of June 2020
when the federal courthouse in Portland
Oregon was under siege and under
Insurrection by radical progressives
those two were dark days for America
not there is no
equivalence yes so you don't agree
that's fine you don't agree that's
finean
stes so you don't
[Applause]
agree but but you'll condemn those
days my point though my point though is
that all political movements are
susceptible to violence and indeed
Insurrection and if we were arguing that
fascism was a threat to democracy I'd be
on that side of the house
indeed the current populist age is a
movement against
fascism I've got quite a lot to get
through populism as you know is the
politics of the ordinary people against
an elite populism is not a threat to
democracy populism is democracy and why
else have universal suffrage if not to
keep Elites in
check ladies and
gentlemen given the success of trump and
more recently Javier mle taking a
chainsaw to the state Behemoth of argen
Argentina's bureaucratic uh EMP
uh monster you'd be mistaken for
thinking this was a right-wing populist
age but that would be ignoring Occupy
Wall Street that would be ignoring
Jeremy corbins for the many not the few
that would be ignoring Bernie against
the billionaires JFK sorry RFK Jr
against big farmer and more recently
George Galloway against his better
judgment
now all of them all of them including
Galloway
recognize genuine concerns of ordinary
people being otherwise ignored by The
Establishment I'm actually rather
surprised that our esteemed opposition
Congressman Pelosi was on that side of
the motion I thought the left was
supposed to be anti- elite I thought the
left was supposed to be
anti-establishment
today particularly in
America the globalist left have become
the establishment
I suppose for Miss poy to have taken
this side of the motion she'd be arguing
herself out of a
job but it's here in Britain where right
and left populists United for the
Supreme Act of
democracy
brexit polls have showed the number one
reason people voted for brexit was
sovereignty for more
democracy
inform thank you what was the response
of the Brussels Elite they did
everything in their power to undermine
the Democratic will of the British
people and the Westminster elite were
just as disgraceful as we've heard David
Cameron called the voters fruit cakes
loonies and closet racists the liberal
Democrats did everything they could to
overturn a democratic vote Kama
campaigned for a second
referendum Elites would had us voting
and voting and voting until we voted
their way indeed that's what happened in
Ireland and in
Denmark let's look at some of the other
populist
movements the Hong konger populist
Revolt is literally called the
pro-democracy
movement the farmer revolts from
Netherlands to Germany France Greece to
Sri Lanka Farmers have taken their tractors
to the
road to
protest ESG policy that's floated down
to us from those all- knowing infallible
Elites of Davos the trucker movement in Canada
became anti-elitist when Petty Tyrant
prime minister Justin Trudeau froze
their bank accounts not the behavior of
a democratic head of
state the jile in France ules in London
working people protesting policy that
that hurt them and how are they treated
they called conspiracy theorists they're
called far right by the mayor as
well ladies and gentlemen populism is
the voice of the voiceless the real threat to
democracy is from the elites now don't
get me wrong we need Elites if President
Biden has shown us anything we need
someone to run the countries when the
president has severe dementia it's not
just America that crumbles the whole
world Burns but let's examine the
elites European corporations spend over
1 billion EUR a year lobbying Brussels
us corporations spend over $2 billion a
year lobbying in DC 2third of
Congress receed funding from
pharmaceutical companies fisa alone spent $1 million in
2021 they made over10 billion in profit
no wonder then that 66% of Americans
think the economy economy is rigged
against them for the rich and the
powerful and by the way we used to have
a word for when Big Business and big
government were in cahoots
and I think any students here of early
20th century Italian History know what
I'm talking about what about big Tech throughout the
pandemic Biden's team the FBI and the
Department of Homeland Security colluded
with big Tech in censoring dissenting
voices not Kookie conspiracy
theorists people like Dr jaria the
Stanford EP epidemiologist people like Harvard
scientist Martin kof people spreading
true information not misinformation true
information at odds with the government
narrative need I remind you democracy
without free speech is not
democracy this was a direct breach by
the way of the First
Amendment before covid intelligence
Services colluded with big Tech to have
Trump sus ended off Twitter yes the same
platform which hosted the Taliban and
Ayatollah de to Israel Ki they fought
the president crossed the line when he
tweeted on Jan 6 quote remain peaceful
no violence respect the law and our
great men and women in blue that's a
quote you may be thinking now that Trump
is a populist you are right he didn't
accept the 2020 elections and he should
have so so should Hillary in 2016 so
should Brussels and so should
Westminster in 2016 and so too should
Congresswoman Pelosi instead of saying
the 2016 election was quote
hijacked quote
hijacked thank
you we don't accept the result of
it what about the mainstream media let
me read you some mainstream media
headlines the New Yorker the day before
the 2016 election the case against
democracy The Washington Post the day
after the election the problem with our
government is
democracy the LA Times June 2017 the
British election is a reminder of The
Perils of too
much
democracy vote June 2017 the two eminent
political scientists say the problem
with democracy is
voters New York Times June
2017 the problem with participatory
democracy is the
participants mainstream media Elites are
part of a class who don't just disdain
popularism they disdain the people if
the Democrats had put half their energy
into delivering for the people Trump
wouldn't even have a chance in 202
before he shouldn't he shouldn't have a
chance you've had power for four
years from the fabricated steel dossier
to try to take him off the ballot in
both Maine and Colorado the Democrats are the
anti-democrat party all we need now is
the Republicans to come out as the pro
monarchist party ladies and gentlemen populism is
not a threat to democracy but I'll tell
you what is its Elites ordering social media to
censor political opponents its police shutting down the
centers be it antim monists in this
country or gender critical voices here
or last week in Brussels the national
conservative uh
movement I'll tell you what is a threat
to democracy it's Brussels DC
Westminster the mainstream media big
Tech big farmer corporate collusion and
the Davos cronies
the threat to democracy comes from those
who write off Ordinary People as
deplorable the threat to democracy comes
from those who smear working people as
racists the threat to democracy comes
from those who write off working people
as populists and I'll say one last
thing this populist age can be brought
to an end at the snap of a finger all
that needs to be be done is for Elites
to start listening to respect it
respecting and God forbid working for
ordinary people thank you
 [Applause]








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