Compared with its 2010 General Election Manifesto, UKIP’s manifestos for the recent Euro and local elections were remarkably light on detail but long on saloon bar, right wing sentiment – open borders/immigration, leave the EU, allow smoking in pubs and the sort of petty nationalism that allows us to see some similarities – but not exact comparisons – between UKIP and the Poujadism that flourished very brightly, but very briefly, in France in the 1950s.
Pierre Poujade was the leader of a right wing populist movement of the lower middle class and self-employed who rallied against big business and public administration and, of course, the unions. Poujadists shot to prominence in France in the 1956 election with 53 deputies (MPs) but lacking a clear policy other than what it was against Poujadism collapsed within two years. Continue reading