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

A new wave raises questions about identity, elections and how we live. Conventional politics must answer them or die

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 Orban 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.

Simon Jenkins is a Guardian columnist