The Guardian view on globalisation and its discontents: how the left was left behind | Editorial

As national populist parties gain ground in the west, progressives must put social and climate priorities ahead of market interests

Different year, same direction of travel. The likely formation of the first far-right-led government in Austria's postwar history, after the breakdown this month of coalition talks between mainstream parties, is the latest confirmation of the illiberal drift in western democracies. Only a few years ago, Viktor Orban's Hungary remained a troublesome outlier in the European Union. These days, variations on Mr Orban's ethno-nationalist approach to 21st-century politics are flourishing across the continent. And in a week's time, Donald Trump will be back in the White House.

In an era of stagnating living standards and rising inequality, the growing appeal of national populism should not come as a surprise. The targeting of immigration, liberal elites" and globalisation has channelled resentments felt in deindustrialised regions, where good jobs and a sense of identity were lost as capital and investment moved elsewhere. The migration of the less well-off towards parties of the far right is a symptom of times in which trust in mainstream politics has collapsed.