Populism thrives on Laziness not just on the laziness of those who unthinkingly accept its slogans, but the laziness of those who know its propositions rest on distortions and untruths, but fail to speak against it. A climate develops in which words of intolerance and prejudice become acceptable and those who dare to criticize the populist rhetoric are considered to be unpatriotic and are labelled as “enemies of the people.”

The slide through the 1930s to the catastrophe of the Second World War and the death camps did not happen …