The Rest Is Politics — “The Real Reasons Populism Is Taking Over” (April 2, 2026)
Host: Alastair Campbell
Guest: Liam Byrne MP (Labour)

Main Theme & Purpose

In this special episode, Alastair Campbell is joined by former Labour minister and MP Liam Byrne to deeply analyze the global surge in populism: its roots, the lived experience that drives it, and how progressives might counter its appeal. Using Byrne’s new book, Why Populists Are Winning and What We Can Do to Beat Them, as a springboard, the discussion ranges from the post-crash economic landscape and personal stories to the ways nostalgia and perceived decline drive political behavior. This is the first in a two-part exploration aiming to unpick not just the mechanics but also the emotional core of today’s populist wave.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

What Drives Modern Populism?

• Economic Inequality and the Financial Crisis

  • Byrne argues the 2008 financial crash fractured the promise of democracy that hard work and rule-following equal progress ([02:40]):

    “In the New Labour years, we were growing wages each year at about 1.5%. That means your wages double every 44 years. After the crash, it’s 0.5%. That means it takes 106 years for your wages to double. So all of a sudden, democracy's promise is broken.”

  • The resulting stagnation in income, collapse in local social capital, and decline of visible community amenities have left people feeling powerless and left behind.

• Fragmented Societal Strains

  • Byrne describes five overlapping “tribes” of populist voters, united by financial strain, pessimism, a sense of local decline, feeling dispossessed in society’s “queue,” and fury at “broken politics” ([03:24]).

• Nostalgia & Local Decline

  • The loss is not just economic, but explicitly local: shuttered shops, crime, failing high streets.
  • Byrne ([14:44]):

    “Hardcore reform voters, about 80% of them think that their area is in decline… When you dig into it … people talk about crime and shops. The death of the high street… has become the cipher, the symbol of communities that are going backwards.”

Populism’s “Strongman” Appeal and Political Zero-Sum Thinking

• The Attraction of Strongman Figures

  • Campbell questions why those most affected by economic precarity rally to wealthy elites like Trump or Johnson.
  • Byrne ([05:06]):

    “Politics has become zero sum. When you have a low-growth economy, what you gain is what I think I lose. Instead of a generous conversation about what we build and share together, it becomes a mad scrabble to defend what I think belongs to me. And who will deliver that for me best? — a strongman leader.”

  • Populist candidates are favored not for policy specifics, but for perceived strength and willingness to upend “the system.”

• Familiarity, Not Novelty

  • Populist leaders like Trump, Le Pen, and Farage are not outsiders, but trusted, known quantities amid a rolling dissatisfaction ([09:22]):

    “People have a familiarity with them and they just think, right, it is time to roll the dice and just try something.”

The Broader Historical Arc

• Downsides of Globalization

  • Both speakers reflect on their own time in government and missed warning signs ([07:04]).
    • Campbell: “Maybe working class people did know better than we did because they saw the downside of globalization… The inequality you’re talking about has got so much worse.”
  • Globalization and technological change were too-optimistically assumed to “lift all boats”; in practice, many stagnated.

• Populists’ Use of Blame and “Enemy” Politics

  • The strategy centers on blaming outsiders or “enemies of the people” rather than detail-oriented policy ([11:41]):

    “They will always play on blaming the outsider… and say if we just take on these people who are to blame, then actually things will be okay for the rest of us.”

Media, Weaponization, and the Myth of the Past

• How Populists Weaponize Anger and Nostalgia

  • Populists combine classic conservative nostalgia with a local sense of loss and a mythologized past.
  • Byrne ([16:46]):

    “People want to see the butcher's back and the post office… People have these kind of...rosy retrospection… but the nostalgia thing I think is a local nostalgia.”

• The Dangers of Buying into “Make X Great Again”

  • Both agree these narratives find a market because people are “profoundly pessimistic about the future”; thus, populists trade on the language of time, summoning “the past … once more” ([18:45]):

    Campbell: “We always thought … you’ve always got to be focused on the future ... But they’re saying, don’t stop thinking about yesterday.”
    Byrne: “Exactly. In a world where people are profoundly pessimistic about the future, it's got a market.”

Policy, Responsibility, and the Way Forward

• Structural and Policy Shortcomings

  • Byrne urges a fresh economic approach, rejuvenating small business and supporting real communities rather than just accepting technological and social shifts as immutable ([17:11]):

• Rebuilding Credible Optimism

  • The episode closes by asserting that progressives need to offer a believable vision of the future, rooted in optimism but grounded in current realities ([19:13]):

    Byrne: “We should be the party that says, look, you can build the future with pride in the past, but you can’t live in the past.”

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Zero-Sum Politics:

  “Politics has become zero sum… Instead of a generous conversation about what we build and share together, it becomes a mad scrabble to defend what I think belongs to me.”
  — Liam Byrne ([05:06])

• On Populists’ Use of Time:

  “They freight their speeches with time... When we were running campaigns, we always thought … you've always got to be focused on the future. Bill Clinton: Don’t stop thinking about tomorrow. And they're saying, 'Don't stop thinking about yesterday.'”
  — Alastair Campbell ([19:02])

• On Local Decline and Nostalgia:

  “People have these kind of...rosy retrospection… The nostalgia thing I think is a local nostalgia.”
  — Liam Byrne ([16:44])

• On the Personal Fallout from Populist Tactics:

  “Are you basically saying, welcome in, and you may be underestimated the extent to which the Tories are utterly ruthless… That became weaponized to the extent that…it almost defines you. It follows you everywhere.”
  — Alastair Campbell, about Byrne’s infamous “no money left” note ([13:12])

• On the Future:

  “It’s one of the reasons Labour…has got to reinvent some optimism, plausible optimism about the future. Because we should be the party that says, look, you can build the future with pride in the past, but you can’t live in the past.”
  — Liam Byrne ([19:13])

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [02:40] — Byrne explains the impact of low wage growth post-2008 and describes the five “tribes” of the populist movement.
• [05:06] — Discussion of “zero sum” politics and why “strongman” figures attract those left behind.
• [07:04] — Reflection on the downsides of globalization missed by politicians.
• [09:22] — Populists’ appeal as familiar “dice roll” choices, not as dangerous outsiders.
• [14:44] — The role of nostalgia and local decline in populist politics.
• [16:46] — Shopping online, high street decay, and the need for policy change to revive communities.
• [18:45] — Language of time in populist rhetoric and the opportunity for progressives to reclaim optimism.
• [19:13] — Concluding thoughts on the necessity for a narrative based on hope for the future.

Conclusion

This episode of The Rest Is Politics offers a sharp, empathetic breakdown of populism’s ongoing appeal, emphasizing both structural causes and the emotional narratives that make populist leaders resonate with the working class. Drawing on personal experience and data, Campbell and Byrne frame the challenge as one of reviving optimism, local pride, and credible solutions to inequality—while cautioning against the seductive simplicity of blaming “others” or dwelling in idealized yesteryears.

(End of Part One — listen to the next installment for a deeper dive into counter-strategies and future prospects.)