Heed the events in France – populism is gaining ground and only a revolution can stop it

‘Marine Le Pen has depicted Macron as an insider, the embodiment of Parisian insensitivity towards provincial France, a classic elitist patrician.’ Photograph: Sarah Meyssonnier/Reuters

If today’s democracy teaches any lesson it is don’t underestimate populism. Insult it, deride it, excuse it, no-platform it, but it is a serious force in electoral politics. In France, Marine Le Pen has surged into contention for the presidency.

Earlier this month, Hungary’s authoritarian Viktor Orbán swept the board. In Russia, albeit in vexed circumstances, Vladimir Putin retains a patriotic hold on opinion. In the US, Donald Trump refuses to disappear. These individuals are in no way the same, but they speak the same message.