MCC Brussels Podcast

In this explosive episode of MCC Deep Dives, host John O’Brien sits down with Canadian street activist Billboard Chris and ADF International’s Lois McLatchie to expose the truth about gender ideology, medical transition in minors, and the global institutions funding it.From puberty blockers and irreversible surgeries to WHO capture, government censorship, and the erosion of parental rights, this episode uncovers how NGOs, Big Tech, global health bodies, and woke schools are pushing a dangerous narrative and how ordinary people are finally fighting back. In This Episode:What is gender ideology really about?Why children can’t consent to puberty blockers. How the WHO, UN, EU, and NGOs push radical gender policies.The role of Big Pharma, social media, and activist doctors.Why free speech is under assault in the name of “safety”.The Brussels street protests and the cost of speaking truth.How gender identity politics undermines gay, autistic and vulnerable youth.Why this is the biggest child protection issue of our time.

Recorded live at MCC Brussels on 14 May 2025Trump’s second presidency is well underway — but Europe is still clinging to old illusions.From NATO budgets to Ukraine, tariffs to technocrats, Trump is tearing up the script. The post-Cold War order is collapsing, and Brussels is still pretending it's 2016.For European elites, the message is simple: grow up, pay up, and stop hiding behind American power. Even populists are split; is Trump a wrecking ball or a necessary wake-up call?This event lays bare the reality: a divided West, a complacent continent, and a political class entirely unprepared for what’s coming.With:James Orr:  Cambridge academic, Chair of the Edmund Burke Foundation UKGuglielmo Picchi:  Former Italian Deputy Foreign Minister, Machiavelli CentreHosted by Jacob Reynolds, MCC Brussels🔔 Subscribe now for more on: Trump Foreign Policy, NATO Crisis, Ukraine Strategy, EU Decline, National Conservatism, America First, Trumpism 2.0, Populism in Europe, Sovereignty, Decline of the Liberal Order

Welcome back to the MCC Brussels Podcast. The show that cuts through EU spin with clarity, candour and a firm grip on the national interest.This week, three big stories from the heart of the Brussels bubble.Trump’s Tariffs: Europe’s Free Ride Is OverTrump is back and he’s coming for Brussels. With a 30 percent tariff wall on EU goods, the message is clear. No more trade freeloading. While the EU bluffs and blusters, American policy is moving fast. Is this reckless provocation or a long overdue correction? And why is Brussels always the last to realise the game has changed?The Green Deal Revolt: Farmers vs the EUEurope’s farmers are back on the streets and this time the backlash is political. The sacred cow of climate policy is being slaughtered not by science denial but by economic reality. Who is footing the bill for this transition? Why are farmers treated as obstacles not allies? The science is not the issue. The politics is.The EU Budget: Integration by StealthA new seven year budget is on the table. But it is less a spending plan than a stealth manifesto. Green earmarks. Digital subsidies. EU wide taxes. Brussels is quietly expanding its power into taxation, redistribution, and strategic control. Is this budgeting or backdoor federalism?Featuring Professor Frank Füredi Executive Director of MCC Brusselsand MCC Brussels' own Paul Rougeron Hosted by John O’Brien Head of Communications at MCC BrusselsNo spin. No Brussels bubble. Just the blunt truth from the heart of Europe

Is Schengen Dead? Poland Says Enough.Poland reinstates border checks with Germany and Lithuania, and it’s not alone. Eleven EU countries are quietly building barriers within the so-called borderless zone. Brussels insists all is fine. The facts say otherwise. The dream of “free movement” is crashing into the wall of mass migration and national self-interest. So who’s really defending Europe’s borders - Poland or the EU?Denmark vs Hungary: EU Presidency Goes RogueLego-land goes lethal. Denmark, now at the helm of the EU Council, is gunning for Hungary, pushing to invoke Article 7 and strip Budapest of voting rights. The reason? Hungary refuses to cheerlead for endless Ukraine war funding and woke “rule-of-law” diktats. Is this EU governance or just ideological retribution dressed up as procedure?Trump’s Tariffs, Von der Leyen’s HeadacheTrump’s latest tariff threat has Brussels sweating bullets. The EU scrambles, bluffs, delays, but the White House sets the pace. Meanwhile, Ursula von der Leyen clings to power after dodging a no-confidence bullet. But from Pfizergate to secret deals, the knives are out. Her presidency might survive - her credibility won’t.Featuring Professor Frank Füredi, Executive Director of MCC Brussels, and Richard Schenk, Research Fellow at MCC Brussels.Hosted by John O’Brien, Head of Communications at MCC Brussels

On this episode of the MCC Brussels podcast:🇭🇺 Budapest Pride: Hungary vs the Woke WestThe Pride parade returns to the streets of Budapest — but this is no grassroots celebration. Hungarian authorities warn of ideological colonisation, as global activists target national identity and childhood innocence. Orbán’s Hungary refuses to bend the knee — and Brussels can’t stand it.🇩🇪 Germany Moves to Ban the OppositionThe SPD wants to outlaw the AfD — one of the country’s most popular parties. The Greens back it. So does much of the media. What happened to democracy, free speech, or the basic right to disagree? The post-war consensus is cracking — and the new authoritarians wear progressive masks.🇪🇺 The EU Flag at 40: Symbol of Unity or Centralised Power?Four decades after its launch, the EU flag is waved like a sacred relic. But what does it really represent? Today, it’s less a symbol of cooperation — more a banner for technocratic rule, democratic erosion, and contempt for national sovereignty.Featuring  Frank Füredi, Executive Director MCC Brussels.  and Zsófia Tóth-Bíró from The European Conservative . Hosted by John O’Brien. No platitudes. No censorship. Just the truth.🔔 Subscribe now for more on:Hungary vs EU, Brussels Pride Politics, Germany AfD Ban, Free Speech in Europe, EU Flag Meaning, National Sovereignty, Gender Ideology, Woke Politics, European Union Hypocrisy, Culture War EuropeSubscribe for more unfiltered, razor-sharp analysis from MCC Brussels.

Frank Furedi, an expert on sociology and risk, and Ashley Frawley, a scholar focused on health and technology, dive into the EU's faltering Green Deal. They dissect the backlash from farmers and small businesses, revealing that the ambitious climate goals lack practicality for everyday citizens. The discussion also touches on the EU's inconsistent stance on Israel and authoritarian regimes, exposing a hypocrisy in moral posturing. Lastly, they critique NATO's bureaucratic approach to defense, highlighting the urgent need for a serious reassessment of military commitments.

Israel’s response to Iran, the return of border checks across Europe, and the UK’s grooming gang scandal. MCC Brussels takes on the questions too many avoid.Mick Hume (Editor-in-Chief, The European Conservative) and Agnieszka Kolek (Head of Cultural Engagement, MCC Brussels) join host John O’Brien to discuss:Should Europe stand firmly with Israel after strikes on Iranian military targets?Schengen turns 40. Are open borders helping or harming Europe’s security and cohesion?What the UK’s grooming gang crisis reveals about multiculturalism, free speech, and political cowardiceWith sharp insights into foreign policy, security, and social trust, this episode examines the challenges liberal democracies now face from both within and beyond Europe’s borders.👉 Subscribe for weekly content exploring the issues Brussels often avoids.

Dutch government collapses, ECHR power grab, Macron censors social mediaMCC Brussels exposes the political battles shaping the future of Europe.Executive Director Frank Furedi and Brussels Report Editor-in-Chief Pieter Cleppe join Jacob Reynolds to unpack:Why Geert Wilders pulled the plug on the Dutch coalition and what it means for the populist right across Europe.How the European Court of Human Rights undermines national democracy and fuels Europe’s migration crisis.Why Macron’s push to ban social media for under-15s signals a new wave of digital censorship and state control.How European elites weaponise supranational courts and institutions to sideline voters and bypass national parliaments.Why mainstream parties refuse to confront Europe’s growing migration backlash.And why Europe’s culture war is now fought in courts, classrooms, and on smartphones.This episode unpacks the escalating clash between European elites and national democracy, and the popular forces rising to confront them.Subscribe for weekly analysis they would rather you didn’t hear.Follow MCC Brussels on social media:https://twitter.com/MCC_Brusselshttps://facebook.com/MCCBrusselshttps://linkedin.com/company/mcc-brussels/website:https://brussels.mcc.hu

Poland’s election shock, Paris riots, Green Deal collapse — Brussels elites are rattled.This week, MCC Brussels takes apart the narratives Europe’s establishment would rather you didn’t hear.Research Fellow Richard Schenk and Agnieszka Kolek join Jacob Reynolds to unpack:The Polish election result and why Polish voters rejected Brussels' liberal elitesWhy Karol Nawrocki’s landslide is a turning point for the patriotic right in EuropeHow young Poles — and the working class — are driving a new conservative waveThe Paris riots: what they really reveal about mass migration, law and order, and the state’s failureIs the European Green Deal collapsing? Why Brussels is quietly dropping climate targets,  and what it means for Europe’s economy and sovereigntyThis episode dives deep into the backlash against the EU’s managed democracy, climate ideology, and culture wars — and the growing revolt across European societies.👉 Subscribe for weekly analysis Brussels doesn’t want you to hear.Follow MCC Brussels on social media:https://twitter.com/MCC_Brusselshttps://facebook.com/MCCBrusselshttps://linkedin.com/company/mcc-brussels/website:https://brussels.mcc.hu

This week, MCC Brussels takes aim at the EU's carefully managed image.Research Fellow Richard Schenk and  Paul Rougeron join Jacob Reynolds to unpack:* Pfizergate and why Ursula von der Leyen refuses to release the vaccine deal text messages* The growing divide between Hungary and the European Commission over LGBT legislation, NGO funding, and rule of law* The latest attack by Manfred Weber branding conservatives as Nazis — and what it says about the centre-right establishment* Why Brussels elites preach democracy while avoiding scrutiny, dodging transparency laws, and smearing critics* And how the Macron slap became a symbol of the disconnect between French elites and the publicThis episode is a deep dive into the crisis of legitimacy facing the European Union, the rise of populist backlash, and the culture wars reshaping the continent.Subscribe for weekly analysis they’d rather you didn’t hear.