Now, with the Democrats’ sweeping victory, could the tide be turning against right-wing populism on both sides of the Atlantic or will Europe’s nationalist parties continue to gain ground? Garton Ash and Martin Wolf discuss the common factors between European nationalists, what European politicians can learn from a Democrat victory and whether there’s reason to hope for the future of liberal democracy.
Democracy is an illusion! It’s become a political system fostered by the élite, for the élite, in order to fool the people that they have a stake in the system. In actual fact, they have virtually none. The whole political system in the modern era, despite having noble beginnings, is now used to benefit the few at the expense of the many. – Mark Alexander, June 29, 2018
November 14, 2026
Trump Loses. European Populism Lives On | Martin Wolf on the US Midterms | FT
Nov 14, 2026 | Before the 2026 midterms, Timothy Garton Ash, emeritus professor of European studies at the University of Oxford and author of ‘Europe in 7½ Chapters’, described the elections as a crucial test of US democracy.
Now, with the Democrats’ sweeping victory, could the tide be turning against right-wing populism on both sides of the Atlantic or will Europe’s nationalist parties continue to gain ground? Garton Ash and Martin Wolf discuss the common factors between European nationalists, what European politicians can learn from a Democrat victory and whether there’s reason to hope for the future of liberal democracy.
Now, with the Democrats’ sweeping victory, could the tide be turning against right-wing populism on both sides of the Atlantic or will Europe’s nationalist parties continue to gain ground? Garton Ash and Martin Wolf discuss the common factors between European nationalists, what European politicians can learn from a Democrat victory and whether there’s reason to hope for the future of liberal democracy.