Thread by @paologerbaudo

The culture war is now eating the right from within.
/thread

Over the course of the last decades the growing consensus of the populist right has been partly built by pursuing a culture war against liberal elites and the left accused of imposing on ordinary people alien ideas. 1/

This culture war is multifarious. On the one hand it revolves around conservative rejection of progressive values (LGBT rights, racial equality etc). On other hand it comprises a suspicion of science and technique, seen as a means of imposing progressivism and rationalism. 2/

During the pandemic this strategy has led to populist right politicians dallying with (if not overtly espousing) conspiracy theories on the origins of the virus, masks and vaccination as popularised by anti-vaxx movements. 3/

In many circumstances this was clearly informed by a rather opportunistic attempt to reap short-term electoral advantages by tapping into this minoritarian but highly militant pool of believers. 4/

Trump obviously never believed for a moment that bleach was a cure for Covid. Yet, it was politically expedient for him to pretend he was believing it to look good in the eyes of conspiracy theorists. Same applies to many others. 5/

Legitimising conspiracy theories was conducive to propaganda objective of discrediting urban elites associated with left and liberals, as hypocritical if not altogether evil. This has been key ingredient of national populism and its construction of the metropolitan enemy. 6/

Yet, now a strategy that long served to antagonise the left is eating the right from within, creating a divide between "true believers" and "free riders": more moderate voters and leaders who have been exploiting popular suspicions of science out of sheer opportunism. 7/

In many country populist right leaders are finding themselves caught between two fires: on the one hand centre and left accusing them of irrationalism, on the other hand true believers accusing them of betrayal. 8/

Trump was booed by own supporters when he invited them to get vaccinated. In France the conspirationist Eric Zemmour is outflanking Marine Le Pen on the right. In Italy Salvini and Brothers of Italy are distancing themselves from more radical sectors of the anti-vax movement. 9/

Like sorcerer's apprentice the populist right seems to have woken up force that cannot control. In so doing it risks splitting its own fragile electoral coalition, which comprises sectors of well-oiled bourgeoisie, but also disgruntled workers & impoverished small business. 10/

This poses a serious strategic problem going forward. The right has made a promise of radicalism that it cannot keep if it is to maintain support from business , that has little patience for popular superstititions and want to go back to business as usual. 11/

/end