We don 't accept a doctor to be stupid. Populism is a form of stupidity, and stupidity is the biggest plague of contemporary democracy. We could have every populist statement analyzed by a jury of both professionals and laymen. It is an expensive means, but if we leave complex issues such as European unification or climate measures to the public, we can be sure that many cannot follow the discussion. Populists make use of this by giving the public the feeling that they are being understood. They then explain it "delicately" from their over-claimed and therefore illusory knowledge. And a party without populism is chased away and voted out. No exit democracy!