Sadly this seems to be a worldwide phenomenon. Almost all the right wing populist parties in different countries seem to be heavily connected to MAGA and co in the US, and want to try and push the same things in their own countries.
And even without the whole social media thing, we see an alarming trend where 'issues' seen as controversial in the US end up becoming controversies in other countries too, even if they're basically irrelevant on a cultural level/were perfectly fine for years or decades beforehand.
Add this to political figures from these parties being seen with their US counterparts on a fairly regular basis, and it generally feels like world politics is quickly becoming Americanised.
I think the study is flawed. They do not seem to have separated American followers of these accounts from British. Maybe the followers are following American accounts because they are Americans, or because Twitter attracts a particular group, or because they are bots or,.... Following an account does not mean you agree with it - I do not really use Twitter any more (like a lot of people!) but I follow many people I disagree with. I am also rather suspicious of the value of research commissioned by a labour MP, particularly one who is in danger of losing his seat at the next election (he only got 31% of the vote at the last election).
This is seeing things through an American lens is true of Britain in general, and the left as well as the right. This leads to some odd things: I have seen the silly phrase "global majority" adopted both by the woke and by racists (the latter in support of replacement theory).
I see this particularly on the left in conversations about racism, which talk as though our problems are the same as those of the US. It is a topic I have some experience of and have devoted much thought to as a visibly ethnic minority Britain, who was born in (and spent a significant part of my life in) a country that fought a decades long ethnic civil war to parents from two different minorities. I have blogged about this: https://pietersz.co.uk/2023/08/racism-culture-different The Tl;DR is the history is very different and current racism is almost entirely driven by resentment of small boat asylum claims.
I think it also exaggerates the links of right wing populism to the US. The article mostly talks about Reform - a party that turned down a huge donation from Elon Musk because Musk made it conditional on allowing Tommy Robinson (the leader of an anti-Muslim group) to join the party.
I also think that that those who become too American will damage their own popularity because they will lose touch with the attitudes of their voters.
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[ 0.26 ms ] story [ 18.3 ms ] threadAnd even without the whole social media thing, we see an alarming trend where 'issues' seen as controversial in the US end up becoming controversies in other countries too, even if they're basically irrelevant on a cultural level/were perfectly fine for years or decades beforehand.
Add this to political figures from these parties being seen with their US counterparts on a fairly regular basis, and it generally feels like world politics is quickly becoming Americanised.
This is seeing things through an American lens is true of Britain in general, and the left as well as the right. This leads to some odd things: I have seen the silly phrase "global majority" adopted both by the woke and by racists (the latter in support of replacement theory).
I see this particularly on the left in conversations about racism, which talk as though our problems are the same as those of the US. It is a topic I have some experience of and have devoted much thought to as a visibly ethnic minority Britain, who was born in (and spent a significant part of my life in) a country that fought a decades long ethnic civil war to parents from two different minorities. I have blogged about this: https://pietersz.co.uk/2023/08/racism-culture-different The Tl;DR is the history is very different and current racism is almost entirely driven by resentment of small boat asylum claims.
I think it also exaggerates the links of right wing populism to the US. The article mostly talks about Reform - a party that turned down a huge donation from Elon Musk because Musk made it conditional on allowing Tommy Robinson (the leader of an anti-Muslim group) to join the party.
I also think that that those who become too American will damage their own popularity because they will lose touch with the attitudes of their voters.