The mainstream right in Europe and the populist temptation

The mainstream right in Europe
and the populist temptation
University of Portsmouth
Wednesday 9 November 2011
Park Building 2.07
13.30‐17.00
Emmanuel Godin,
For registration and further
details, contact:
SLAS, Park Building, 4.09
University of Portsmouth PO1 2DZ, UK
Tel +44 2392 846158
emmanuel.godin@port.ac.uk
Chair: Prof David Hanley, University of Portsmouth
Guest speakers:
Prof. Michael Minkenberg (Europa‐Universität Viadrina,
Frankfurt, Germany), ‘The radical right in Europe between
populism, extremism and the mainstream right ‐ convergence
or divergence?’
Prof. Tim Bale (University of Sussex), ‘Just the right side of the
line? The British Conservative party and the populist
temptation’.
Prof. Aleks Szczerbiak (University of Sussex), ‘A Sheep in Wolf's
Clothing? The Polish Law and Justice Party '.
Prof. Carlo Ruzza and Stefano Fella (University of Leicester),
‘Populist political discourse as a strategic linkage between the
Italian xenophobic right and the centre‐right’.
Emmanuel Godin (University of Portsmouth), ‘What going on
between Sarkozy and Le Pen? La Droite Populaire as a
roadblock and a bridgehead between the UMP and the FN’.

The mainstream right in Europe and the populist temptation
On 9 November 2011, Emmanuel Godin and Dave Hanely , with the support of Centre for European and
International Studies Research of the University of Portsmouth will be organising a conference on the above
theme. While the steady growth of extreme‐right or populist parties in most EU states has attracted an
impressive amount of study, the mainstream right has probably fared less well in terms of academic coverage.
What seems to be missing is an attempt to seize the two (or more?) types of right as they interact.
Is the offering of the extreme‐right really not so different from that of the mainstream, as Cas Mudde seems to
be suggesting recently? Or is it a quite distinct phenomenon? Whatever the response to these questions,
established parties of the right see themselves increasingly forced to address the challenge of the extreme
right, which mobilises enough voters to be a permanent problem. Does the mainstream right ignore the
challenger? Co‐opt some of their personnel or ideas (on what bases?)? Does it challenge the extreme right
head on? Or does it practise a mixture of these responses?
What seems certain is that there is an ongoing tension and a subtle dialogue going on between the different