Straddling the divide : Mainstream populism and conservatism in Howard’s Australia and Harper’s Canada
Journal article
Snow, Dave and Moffitt, Benjamin. (2012). Straddling the divide : Mainstream populism and conservatism in Howard’s Australia and Harper’s Canada. Commonwealth & Comparative Politics. 50(3), pp. 271-292. https://doi.org/10.1080/14662043.2012.692922
Authors | Snow, Dave and Moffitt, Benjamin |
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Abstract | This paper builds on the insights of Sawer and Laycock (2009) to explore similarities in the use of populist discourse by former Australian Prime John Howard and current Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper. While Sawer and Laycock label this discourse ‘market populism’ and focus on economic issues, here it is argued that Howard and Harper's populism is better understood as ‘mainstream populism’ due to the equal importance of sociocultural issues in their discourses. To demonstrate this, the treatment of issues such as immigration, multiculturalism, the culture wars, criminal justice, and childcare is considered. It is further suggested that such populist policies were used to satisfy rival wings of their respective parties – neoliberals and social conservatives – that do not always share the same priorities. |
Keywords | populism; conservatism; Stephen Harper; John Howard; Australia ; Canada |
Year | 2012 |
Journal | Commonwealth & Comparative Politics |
Journal citation | 50 (3), pp. 271-292 |
Publisher | Routledge |
ISSN | 1466-2043 |
Digital Object Identifier (DOI) | https://doi.org/10.1080/14662043.2012.692922 |
Scopus EID | 2-s2.0-84864704696 |
Page range | 271-292 |
Publisher's version | License All rights reserved File Access Level Controlled |
Output status | Published |
Publication dates | |
Online | 18 Jul 2012 |
Publication process dates | |
Deposited | 13 Mar 2025 |
https://acuresearchbank.acu.edu.au/item/906q8/straddling-the-divide-mainstream-populism-and-conservatism-in-howard-s-australia-and-harper-s-canada
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