The horrors of Nazism and a consistently robust economy have inoculated the country from extremism, but undercurrents of discontent should not be ignored, says Michael Bröning

Before UK prime minister Theresa May surprised markets with a snap general election, 2017 was already the year of political risk for Europe.

The Netherlands election has energised traditional parties across Europe from left and right, with Dutch voters showing Europe that populism is not always inevitable.

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte has claimed a dominating election victory over anti-Islam politician Geert Wilders, who failed the year's first test for populism in Europe.

It’s all designed to boost the entity purveying the populism rather than the cohort it’s aimed at, writes Michael Clifford.

‘Government isn’t working’ has been a recurring theme of the past decade. In many ways, it has been the underlying message behind the rising wave of populism.

The word “populism” was everywhere in 2016. Political leaders claiming to speak for the people have achieved significant victories in Europe, Asia, and, with the election of Donald Trump, the United States, writes Margaret Macmillan.

Some predicted a win for Trump would spook the markets but Tom Metcalf and Jack Witzig found the prospect of a businessman in the White House just helped the rich grow richer.

Populism did the job for Bertie, and all parties have cottoned onto it, writes Michael Clifford