The Europeans | European news, politics and culture cover image

The Europeans | European news, politics and culture

Latest episodes

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Apr 22, 2019 • 28min

Lyra

This week a brilliant young journalist was shot dead in Northern Ireland, on the 21st anniversary of the Good Friday peace agreement. The senseless death of Lyra McKee is a reminder of a conflict that most in the country have put behind them. Her friend, the writer Susan McKay, is here with a very moving tribute to a remarkable person. Also this week: a rebellion in London, rising from the ashes in Paris, and the magnificent species that is the European honey bee. You can follow Susan on Twitter here. Many thanks to BBC Radio Foyle in Derry for recording Susan's tribute for us. Thanks for listening. If you have a euro or two a month to spare, you can help support the show at patreon.com/europeanspodcast.com. And if you fancy writing a (flattering) review on Apple Podcasts, you can do so here. See you next week, Europe. Twitter.com/EuropeansPod Instagram.com/europeanspodcast Facebook.com/europeanspodcast europeanspodcast@gmail.com
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Apr 15, 2019 • 29min

Disinformation Wars

No, European governments are not handing out 'brothel vouchers' to immigrants; and no, the EU is not trying to ban bendy cucumbers. Euro-myths are as old as the union itself, but with elections just around the corner, setting the record straight feels more important than ever. This week's guest is on the frontlines of the fight against disinformation: Jules Darmanin, the coordinator of a new continent-wide band of fact-checkers. Plus: Julian Assange, Swiss democracy, and the world's greatest neighbours. You can find the Fact Check EU website here in 11 beautiful languages. That nice article about our former guest Flavia Kleiner that Dominic was talking about is here, and the Swiss podcast episode that Katy was raving about is available here. Huge thanks to the incredibly generous people helping us to keep this show running with their donations. You can chip in at patreon.com/europeanspodcast. Thanks for listening. Twitter.com/EuropeansPod Instagram.com/europeanspodcast Facebook.com/europeanspodcast europeanspodcast@gmail.com
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Apr 8, 2019 • 26min

Nice One, Slovakia

This week, a little glimmer of hope from central Europe in the form of a new Slovakian president who refuses to fight dirty. And a little glimmer of the future in the form of our guest, bionic woman and tech journalist Mimi Billing, one of a growing number of Swedes to have got themselves... microchipped? Plus: Russian whale jails, a decades-old French mystery, and germs at the opera. Follow Mimi on Twitter here and read her great article about Swedish body-hacking here! And for more on Slovakia's badass president-elect Zuzana Čaputová, there's no better place to start than the latest episode of the In Between Europe podcast hosted by our former guest Zselyke Csaky, which you can check out here. A massive thanks to our growing army of Patreon supporters for keeping the show going. You can chip in at patreon.com/europeanspodcast. See you next week, and in the meantime, see you online! Twitter.com/EuropeansPod Instagram.com/europeanspodcast Facebook.com/europeanspodcast europeanspodcast@gmail.com
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Mar 26, 2019 • 32min

Political Tinder

This week, like so many other weeks, it's been easy to take a look at the world and think: how did things get so polarised? Ahead of the European elections, the battle lines are already being drawn: nationalists vs globalists, liberals vs conservatives. But a fascinating project is trying to get Europeans from across the political spectrum to actually sit down and talk about their differences. Sebastian Horn, the deputy editor of Die Zeit online, is on the line from Berlin to explain the thinking behind the Europe Talks project. Plus: changing populist fortunes from Budapest to Amsterdam, and the mathematics of soap bubbles. Sign up to take part in Europe Talks here. Thanks so much to our listeners who've donated on Patreon! Every little helps and we're hugely grateful for the support. You can chip in at patreon.com/europeanspodcast. Thanks for listening. Twitter.com/EuropeansPod Instagram.com/europeanspodcast Facebook.com/europeanspodcast europeanspodcast@gmail.com
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Mar 19, 2019 • 30min

MEGALITHS!!!!

After the week it's been, we could all do with a break from the present. This week, we're venturing into Europe past -- about six thousand years ago, to a time when mysterious stone structures were springing up all around the continent. Today we call them megaliths, and there's a lot we still don't know about them. But one woman has been on a quest to work out how these extraordinary monuments spread around Europe. Archaeologist Bettina Schulz Paulsson is on the line from Gothenburg to talk about how early Europeans were exchanging knowledge and culture a good few millennia before the EU was invented. Also: a reverse art heist, a blow for the anti-vaxxers , and how to say no to big business. Thanks so much to the new supporters who joined our Patreon this week! You can help us carry on making the show by chipping at https://www.patreon.com/europeanspodcast. Thanks for listening. Twitter.com/EuropeansPod Instagram.com/europeanspodcast Facebook.com/europeanspodcast europeanspodcast@gmail.com
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Mar 12, 2019 • 34min

A taste of the nuclear apocalypse

This week The Europeans are heading underground to the nearest bunker. Julie McDowall, Cold War writer and expert on all things atomic, is on the line from Glasgow to talk about how different countries in Europe planned for nuclear war and what it’s like to visit Chernobyl, three decades after the disaster. We also talk about the woman shaking up Estonian politics, questionable ethics in Italian opera, and Slovenian sandwiches. You can check out Julie’s excellent podcast The Atomic Hobo here and follow her on Twitter here. Thanks so much to the new supporters who joined our Patreon this week! You can help us carry on making the show by chipping at https://www.patreon.com/europeanspodcast. Thanks for listening. Twitter.com/EuropeansPod Instagram.com/europeanspodcast Facebook.com/europeanspodcast europeanspodcast@gmail.com
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Mar 5, 2019 • 37min

They / Them / Theirs

This week we're talking about transgender rights in Europe with the author and activist CN Lester, whose wonderful book Trans Like Me gets its mainstream paperback release on Thursday. And on a continent where young people mostly stayed at home for the last elections, Mick ter Reehorst calls in to explain why he's launched a new campaign, #ProveThemWrong, to get out the youth vote in May. Plus: winter bacon, sticking it to the homophobes, and a mile-high culture clash between France and the Netherlands. Check out CN's work at cnlester.com! Get the youth vote out at provethemwrong.eu! And watch this great video about women getting the vote in Switzerland! Thanks so much to everyone who's started chipping in to our Patreon fund. Help us keep the show going at patreon.com/europeanspodcast. Thanks for listening. 🇪🇺 Twitter.com/EuropeansPod Instagram.com/europeanspodcast Facebook.com/europeanspodcast europeanspodcast@gmail.com
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Feb 25, 2019 • 31min

The brands that Karl built

This week, the kid from Hamburg who grew up to become one of the most powerful forces in global fashion. Karl Lagerfeld built not one but three hugely successful brands. After his death last week at the age of 85, we're exploring the flaws, quirks and legacy of this complicated man with the help of Fiachra Gibbons, culture editor at Agence France-Presse and long-time observer of 'the Kaiser'. We also discuss Europe's rising problem with anti-Semitism, some good news for Serbia's gay first couple, and how to make it big in Finland. Thanks to everyone who's started chipping in to our Patreon fund! Help us keep the show going at patreon.com/europeanspodcast. Thanks for listening. 🇪🇺 Twitter.com/EuropeansPod Instagram.com/europeanspodcast Facebook.com/europeanspodcast europeanspodcast@gmail.com
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Feb 19, 2019 • 34min

The most isolated place on Earth

This week we're stretching the definition of Europe to the limit and travelling all the way down to the French-Italian research base in the Antarctic! By some miracle we managed to Skype the physicist Meganne Christian at the Concordia base about what it's like spending an entire year living in the most isolated place on Earth (albeit with decent Italian cooking). At the other end of the planet: bears, Viktor Orbán's bid to turn Hungarian women into baby-machines, and pop that pisses off the populists. Thanks to everyone who's started chipping in to our Patreon fund! Help us keep the show going at patreon.com/europeanspodcast. Thanks for listening. 🇪🇺 Twitter.com/EuropeansPod Instagram.com/europeanspodcast Facebook.com/europeanspodcast europeanspodcast@gmail.com
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Feb 11, 2019 • 23min

The skies over Skopje

This week, the city where you can taste the air on your tongue. We're going to Skopje with the Macedonian writer Aleksandar Dimishkovski to find out what it's like living in the most polluted city in Europe. On the brighter side, we also have some Swedish bling, a badass Romanian anti-corruption crusader, and some long-forgotten treasures. Interested in finding out why John Ruskin is so relevant? Click here. Thanks so much to everyone who's signed up to support us on Patreon! If you like the show and have a tiny bit of cash to spare, you can join our kind donors at patreon.com/europeanspodcast. Thanks for listening. 🇪🇺 Twitter.com/EuropeansPod Instagram.com/europeanspodcast Facebook.com/europeanspodcast europeanspodcast@gmail.com

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