How do we understand the politics and activist membership of populist parties in Europe?

This discussion seeks to bring together the media, NGOs, policymakers, researchers and academics. It is open to the public.

In the first part, the event will cover the Italian League, the Flemish Interest, the Finns Party, and the Swiss People’s Party, using extensive fieldwork among their representatives and members. How and why have these parties committed themselves to maintaining costly and complex mass organisations? What is the role of party leaders within them? In the second part, we will broaden the discussion to include the case of Ireland.

Speakers: Daniele Albertazzi (University of Birmingham) and Stijn van Kessel (Queen Mary University of London) will present the preliminary findings of the Populism in Action Project, which focuses on grassroots activism and party leaders within the European populist radical right. Julien Mercille (University College Dublin) will talk about populism in Ireland.

Chair: Scott Lucas (University of Birmingham)

A Q&A session will follow.