The sinister psychology at the heart of populism

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2025/apr/16/the-sinister-psychology-at-the-heart-of-populism

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Readers respond to George Monbiot’s piece on how economic inequality fosters resentment, exclusion and nostalgia

George Monbiot (Rightwing populists will keep winning until we grasp this truth about human nature, 13 April) makes some very important points about the psychology of those who follow demagogues and rightwing populist leaders. But this knowledge is not new. After the horrors of the rise of the Nazis and the persecution by them of Jews and other minority groups before and during the second world war, psychologists, many of them Jewish, began to systematically study the origins of such hatred. One was Henri Tajfel, a Jew born in Poland whose family were murdered by the Nazis.

Tajfel was primarily interested in group identity, and popularised the terms in-group and out-group. Most importantly for understanding our times, Tajfel’s work helped to show that not only do we work for, and experience reward through, the in-group’s success (familiar to supporters of any football club), but, more sinisterly, we will work for, and experience reward through, the detriment of the out-group, even if that also means the in-group suffers, so long as it is to a lesser extent.

This, I think, is the psychology that underpins the rise of hard-right populism across the world. It behoves those of us who wish to counter it to better understand the psychology that drives it.Barry Greatorex Derby

George Monbiot is correct to highlight the corrosive nature of inequality and how it is undermining democracy and fuelling the rise of the populist right. However, he overlooks two important aspects.

First, he concentrates on income inequality and disparities between rich and poor – yet inequality is a more complex phenomenon. In reality, there are many intersecting inequalities: gender, health, disability and ethnicity are critical in determining wellbeing. Second, surprisingly, he does not mention the causal links between inequality and crises of nature and climate. Without addressing inequality, we cannot find effective, sustainable and just solutions to these crises.

As Monbiot points out, the current political regime is not tackling inequality systemically or from its roots. Many of its actions exacerbate the problem. Fortunately, a new political party, the Equality Party, which opened for membership this year, aims to confront this rising inequality. Its vision is a more inclusive, equitable society with diverse voices in decision-making at all levels. Katrina BrownExeter

The juxtaposition of George Monbiot and Polly Toynbee on the same day (Labour has done right by British Steel – now it must speed up a radical strategy for all industry, 13 April) made grim but convincing reading. A recent speech by Bernie Sanders in the US chimes in with a list of the issues that are apparently too painful for centrist politicians to mention. He makes it clear that this is because politics has been poisoned by big money.

In this country, the Labour government’s strategy has been doomed from the start by assuming that redistribution is unthinkable, so growth is the only way forward. This fails for two reasons: growth isn’t happening, but also any proceeds of growth are hoovered up by the very rich, leaving the rest of us (as Monbiot explains) on the outside looking in. The consequent rise in support for far-right leaders seems inevitable, and Labour seems headed for defeat at the next election if it does not change course.Jeremy CushingWiveliscombe, Somerset

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