For not understanding why "populism" is seen as such a bad thing

Because unfortunately the electorate as a whole do not always have sufficient knowledge of an issue to make an informed choice that will result in the best outcome for society as a whole. Interest in politics and the economy is pretty low amongst large sections of the public, so they typically don't do a 'deep dive' into an issue, but rather grasp onto an overarching concept that they believe aligns with their self interest at the time.
This makes easy prey for manipulators who know that all they need to do to win support is to convince people the ills in their life are due to this or that scapegoat, and they will rid them of the problem. They don't explain how or at what cost and many people don't ask them to, they simply believe and trust in them.
Its not difficult to be popular by telling people who don't ask many questions what they want to hear, but often the popularity is won through misrepresentation and lies.

Yeah, I think this is true.

Which isn't to say populist approaches are never bad. They can be shallow, they can try and whip up a mob mentality.

But, for example, you see people talking about Trump, or the Tories, and say, "They are just doing x,y,z to get votes!

Um - ok It's totally appropriate for a political leader to pursue policy or issues a lot of people want.

Often the unsaid part is that they are the "wrong" people - sometimes that can be too rich, too white, but equally these days it seems to mean to working class, too white. (This is why non-white conservative voters get such nasty rhetoric, they damage the branding for the anti-populists.)

It's a way of saying what you know will appeal to a large demographic to win votes - without actually thinking about the mass effect on all the population - and often without any proper plans in place too - basically shooting from the hip

Brexit is a prime example of 'populism' gone wrong, but not for the reasons people think. We were asked a question, we answered it. Parliament's job was then to enact that in the most effective way possible in the best interests of the country. What happened was that there was a majority in the commons who didn't agree with it, therefore it was the wrong decision. i.e. populist. Everything was thrown at overturning the decision. The population are stupid, they know now what they vote for etc. The shitshow that followed that vote by our elected politicians showed without doubt that this country is not run for the benefit of the people living in it. Brexit was a golden opportunity to do things differently for Britain and make changes that worked for us, not another 27 countries too.

Populism generally means ideas that don't accord with the two party centre right stitch up where both the Tories and Labour work to maintain the status quo that keeps the British establishment exactly where it wants to be.

How do we know something is "wrong"? Isn't politics the process of how we all decide what is right and wrong. And if the majority believe something is right - then where does the authority to overrule them come from?

You've had some usual in posts but this is a good question.

Nobody should vote on tribal lines

Plenty do. I often see 'as a lifelong Labour voter' on here.

No, populism is not dangerous and it doesn't mean doing things that are popular.

Your imagination is incorrect. Political illiteracy is a huge problem in the UK. Nobody should vote on tribal lines, and I am not a single party loyalist. Your assumption that I must be is a projection.

Debatable. People vote on others paying higher tax. Loads of higher tax advocates on mn.

You could easily get enough votes on someone else is paying.

It would be "popular" to not pay any tax - I could easily get more than 50% to vote for that.

Your turn.

No political party has any long term plan

I have heard people talk about China having a long term plan but people lack the level of democracy in order for that to happen

I prefer our system with elections, and agree populism is attributed to the other side, by some sections of the media mostly.

No political party has any long term plan,

Populism is very dangerous. It means doing things because they are popular (ie vote winners) even though they are wrong or damaging.

The UK system does not allow for that kind of axe wielding, fortunately.

As to what is better now, there is a lot. Marriage equality, environmental protections, workers' rights, women's rights including things like safe legal abortion and legislation against domestic violence, including rape within Marriage, improvements in the rights of children to not be hit at home or at school.

What needs improving: inequality, education, housing. They're big and complex things, which is why pandering to the populists will get us nowhere.

And voting for a party without reading what they stand for - well, I don't want to be deleted but I have an opinion on people who do that.

Which utopia will you be going to?

If you're looking back 100 years then you'll find the entire world has changed dramatically.

FWIW I have now lived in the UK for coming up 28 years. Before that, I was here when Thatcher came to power. And despite the fact that the UK has gone downhill in the last 14 years, and especially in the last 5 years of the previous government, it's still so much better now than it was in 1979. It's a shame much of the world is swinging right, because some of the gains made are under threat, but on the whole I'd say the radical change has been for the better.

“Oh, Prout he is a nobleman,
a nobleman, a nobleman!
Our Heffy is a nobleman—
He does an awful lot,
Because his popularity—
Oh, pop-u-pop-u-larity—
His giddy popularity
Would suffer did he not!”

And that's the problem with popularists. We need strong leaders at the top who do things because they believe they are the right thing to do, not because they think they will win them the most votes.
Someone who will do what they think is popular, will be like a grass in the wind, tossed either way depending on the wind direction.

I would strongly dispute that "nothing changes". 100 years ago the UK was a very different place - there have been some very radical changes!

Well, surely you could congratulate yourselves a little on your centrism meaning you haven’t elected a cabinet of far-right loons? Other places are, after all.

UK is very strange in its approach to politics. In the US, the GOP and the Dems are quite different to each other but at least you know what you are getting. Whereas in the UK, the winning party is almost always the one that holds the centre ground. We tend to get Centrist Tories (Cameron, May) and centrist Labour (Blair,Starmer). The only reason we got Boris is because Corbyn was too extreme, and we only got Thatcher in the 70's because the Labour government were in thrall to the tories.
Given that we essentially vote for the centre every time, it is perhaps not surprising that nothing changes. And given that it is what the silent majority wants, I guess that is democracy at work.