They promise solidarity but not necessarily justice. Populists promise people not to judge them based solely on their merits. Unsurprisingly then, it is loyalty - namely the unconditional loyalty to ethnic, religious or social groups - that is at the heart of the appeal of Europe’s new populism. People fear that in times of trouble, the meritocrats will opt to leave instead of sharing the cost of staying. Paradoxically, it is the convertible competencies of the present elites, the fact that they are equally fit to run a bank in Bulgaria or in Bangladesh or to teach in Athens or Tokyo, that make people so suspicious of them. People trust their leaders not only because of their competence but also because of their courage and commitment, and because they believe that their leaders will remain with their own in times of crisis rather than being helicoptered to the emergency exit. In the eyes of the meritocratic elites, their success outside of their country is a proof of their talents, but in the eyes of many people, this very mobility is a reason not to trust them. You can admire the hired “stars,” but you do not have reason to be sorry for them. Many of the players aren’t even from the same countries as their teams. They don’t have mutual friends or shared memories. That’s because there’s no relationship connecting the “players” and their fans beyond celebrating victories. It should seem obvious that meritocracy - a system in which the most talented and capable, the best educated, those who score highest on the tests, are put in leading positions - is better than plutocracy, gerontocracy, aristocracy and, perhaps, even the rule of the majority, democracy.īut what happens when these teams start to lose or the economy slows down? Their fans abandon them. Why are the “exams-passing classes” so resented at a time when the complexity of the world suggests that people need them most? Why do people who work hard so that their kids can graduate from the world’s best universities refuse to trust people who have already graduated from these universities? How is it possible that anybody can agree with Michael Gove, the pro-Brexit politician, who said people “have had enough of experts”? They find it difficult to understand the sources of the rage against the meritocratic elites best symbolized by the well-trained, competent civil servants in Brussels. They are shocked that many of their compatriots are voting for irresponsible demagogues. This is what European political, business and news media leaders have done in response to the populist wave that is sweeping the old Continent. SOFIA, Bulgaria - When you can’t understand why people behave in a certain way, the easiest thing to do is to convince yourself that people do not know what they are doing.

Meritocratic plutocracy