Politicians against parties: Anti‐party arguments as weapons for change in Germany

The language of anti‐party arguments provides clues about the likely consequences of upsurges in popular disaffection with political parties. Anti‐party rhetoric helps set the agenda for political action by mobilizing diffuse disaffection and discontent, and channelling it into support for specific reforms. Examining prevailing anti‐party arguments for their normative frameworks and their diagnoses of the causes of pressing problems provides clues about the kinds of political change anti‐party politics is likely to promote. This study develops distinctions between different types of anti‐party arguments and employs them to highlight key differences between past and current anti‐party debates in Germany.