I should mention that Blyth specifically discusses the recent German election in the above talk. He agrees that yes, the rise of extremists is still limited, but also points out the huge drop in support for traditional parties, which is also worrisome.
Why is it so hard for some to understand that eventually people get tired of the "same old same old", especially when they start thinking that things are getting worse in their day to day lives?
Of course people will be looking for some change. And if none of the established parties comes out with that real change, or no other "rational" party comes out promising that change, then that leaves the extremists/authoritarians, so they'll go for those.
Sometimes I'm amazed at just how blind some people can be at this, and think that people should (or will) always vote for the lesser evil (in the downward spiral). No, eventually people will get fed up with that, whether you like it or not. So it's important to have a real, but also rational, alternative to the slow-moving political establishment.
It would be best if the main political parties would pre-empt this by actually addressing people's latest concerns and being in tune with what those concerns are, but often they get too comfortable with the power and the relationships they have at the top, so it almost comes natural to them not to do that.
