Ep. 10 - Is Paris burning?, with Sandro Gozi

Ep. 10 - Is Paris burning?, with Sandro Gozi

For this episode of Budapest, I am joined by Sandro Gozi, Member of the European Parliament for Renew Europe, Secretary General of the European Democratic Party, and President of the Union of European Federalists — and one of the most convinced and articulate Europeanists I know. We begin in Belgrade, where students have taken to the streets against Aleksandar Vučić's increasingly authoritarian rule. It shows how the line between liberal democracy and autocratic drift can be easily crossed when institutions are weakened and dissent is treated as a threat. And the reason why we cannot avert our gaze is that the European Union is not an exclusive club. From Serbia, the conversation moves to France, where political fragmentation, rising extremism and institutional tensions are reshaping the country's future. But the challenge is not only internal. Russia's threat to European security is real. Donald Trump's return has exposed Europe's strategic vulnerabilities. And when democracies allow those who reject democratic rules to exploit democratic institutions, they risk nurturing their own enemies. But democracy is not an eternal gift. It survives only if citizens are willing to defend it. With reason, not rage. In this episode: * The Serbian student movement and the challenge to Vučić * The Western Balkans, between European promises and autocratic drift * Is Paris burning? Le Pen, Mélenchon and the fragmentation of the French Republic * The boomerang effect: when democracy tolerates the intolerant * Europe exposed: from Putin's threats to Trump's strategic blackmail * Liaisons dangereuses: the unstable axis between Emmanuel Macron and Giorgia Meloni * The rights connected to European citizenship * The importance of digital sovereignty Timestamps: 0:00 – Introduction 1:50 – Look at Belgrade 3:20 – Serbia and the Balkans can make the difference for the EU 6:00 – The right as a European citizen that you did not know you had 12:10 – The reasons behind the French instability 20:00 – We already know the outcome of the French elections 27:25 – The Russian threat to our security is a matter of fact 29:30 – The boomerang effect: tolerating the intolerant 36:30 – The EU Commission is not standing up to the Trump administration 40:00 – Money, sovereignty and the need for an EU digital strategy 42:45 – Emmanuel and Giorgia: les liaisons dangereuses 48:25 – Democracy is not an eternal gift Author and host: Ivan Scalfarotto Editor and social media: Ludovica Taurisano Graphic designer: Paola De Bartolo Visual identity: Martina Santurri Sound designer: Enrico Cabua

Ep. 9 - There Is Always Someone to Your Right, with Cas Mudde

For this episode of Budapest, I am joined by Cas Mudde — distinguished research professor at the University of Georgia and one of the world's foremost scholars of the far right and populism, whose work spans European politics, the radical right, and the unexpected connection between soccer and politics. Budapest, as he reminds us, is not just a city: it is in ourselves. The line between liberal and illiberal democracy is not as sharp as we would like to believe — and that is precisely what makes it so dangerous. For decades, he argues, the Left misdiagnosed the far right, focusing on the actors rather than the policies. Meanwhile the far right radicalised, and the centre shifted to the right. From Germany's "militant democracy" to the health of US democracy, we trace the return of ideology within the three-dimensional politics of today. Because politics, as Mudde insists, is not just about solving problems — it is about deciding what counts as a problem in the first place. In this episode: * How the left misdiagnosed the far right * The surveillance state * Germany's militant democracy * The Biden lesson on accountability * Rural provinces and the geography of US politics * Plutocracy and the far right: a relationship we need to address * The return of ideology in three-dimensional politics * Mamdani, Sanders, and the class argument With reason, not rage. Timestamps  1:21 – Georgia is like Budapest 2:40 – We live in a surveillance state 4:45 – The example of the German "militant" democracy 8:40 – The left has misdiagnosed the far right 13:03 – Is the EU a happy island? 17:00 – Hungary is a unique case — and the Meloni model is spreading 19:15 – The far right doesn't moderate: it's the mainstream that radicalises 23:00 – There is always someone to your right 26:30 – Orbán accepted defeat. Trump did not. 35:00 – You need to be in the rural provinces to win US elections 38:50 – There is no single way out of the far right backlash 43:40 – Plutocracy and the far right: the relationship we need to address 47:00 – The class argument 50:00 – What is the centre in today's three-dimensional politics? 54:00 – We should not fear ideology 58:00 – Biden's lesson on accountability 1:05:00 – Have awkward conversations with people who are close to you Author and host: Ivan Scalfarotto Editor and social media: Ludovica Taurisano Graphic designer: Paola De Bartolo Visual identity: Martina Santurri Sound designer: Enrico Cabua

Ep. 8 - The Age of Ju-Jitsu Politics, with Catherine Fieschi

Catherine Fieschi has spent years studying one of the defining political forces of our time: populism. Founder of Counterpoint, visiting scholar at Carnegie Europe, and fellow at the Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies, she is among the sharpest observers of how democracies are challenged from within. In this episode, we explore why populism should not be dismissed as anger, protest, or political style, but understood as a serious ideology built around majoritarianism, anti-elitism, and distrust of institutions. From the judiciary to the press, from elections to parliaments, Fieschi explains how populists reshape democratic systems while claiming to speak directly for "the people." At the centre of the conversation is what she calls "ju-jitsu politics": populists win because they turn democratic tools against democracy itself. They use freedom of the press and social media to sell compelling stories — and that is what we ought to learn to do too. The deeper challenge is a cultural one. And we can save democracy even by joining a choir. With reason, not rage. In this episode: Why populism is an ideology, not just a style The populist playbook and ju-jitsu politics Why populists tell better stories The limits of popular sovereignty What citizens — not just "the people" — can do Timestamps 1:15 Watch the French elections in 2027 2:45 Populism is an ideology, so take it seriously 5:45 Illiberal populists are nostalgic 8:00 The three steps in the populist playbook 9:50 What is ju-jitsu politics 12:15 The Parliament is not a TV show 15:45 The populists tell good stories 17:20 Mamdani's authenticity took it all 18:50 The limits of popular sovereignty 23:10 We are citizens, not just people 26:00 What is the way of life you really want? 29:30 The Netherlands as a laboratory 35:45 Populism is a self-fulfilling prophecy 38:00 The Conte 1 Government 41:00 Meloni has delivered nothing beyond stability 43:55 Trump is the ju-jitsu champion 47:00 "They stole my election" 49:20 Use your social media as a citizen 51:15 Build ties with those who are different from you / Join that choir! Author and host: Ivan Scalfarotto Editor and social media: Ludovica Taurisano Graphic designer: Paola De Bartolo Visual identity: Martina Santurri Sound designer: Enrico Cabua

Ep. 7 - The true cost of Brexit, with Greg Hands

Greg Hands has been involved in British politics and public life for over 30 years. He served as Member of Parliament for Chelsea and Fulham from 2005 to 2024 and held several key government roles, including Minister for the Budget, Energy, and Trade, as well as Chairman of the Conservative Party. Brexit, he argues, definitively broke a taboo: a country as deeply tied to the European Union as the United Kingdom — in its legal frameworks, its trade, its daily life — chose to leave. And that choice came with a price. In this episode, Hands explains how the British people experienced the referendum, the real role played by Nigel Farage in the Leave campaign, and the consequences of that decision — not only economic, but above all political. And he leaves us with an uncomfortable question: even if we disagree with Brexit, would we be ready to rejoin the EU under today's circumstances? With reason, not rage. In this episode: * Eastern Europe and the legacy of the Wall * Between Conservatives and Labour: an overview of the British electoral system * Brexit and its legacy * UK and EU: a future of cooperation? * The Green Party and an overly broad coalition Timestamps  1:50 1986–2026: the Hungarian parable 4:30 Nationalism in Eastern Europe 7:30 Margaret Thatcher would have liked Brexit? 12:00 Brexit broke a taboo 15:30 Nigel Farage is superficially popular 19:00 Would the UK rejoin the EU? 23:00 How far Brexit can go 26:40 The legacy of Brexit on trade agreements 31:30 The political impact of the referendum 35:00 An insight into the British electoral system 41:20 The UK Green Party's coalition is perhaps too broad 47:00 Risks of polarization in the UK political spectrum 49:30 You may not like the alternative to liberal democracy Author and host: Ivan Scalfarotto  Editor and social media: Ludovica Taurisano  Graphic designer: Paola De Bartolo Visual identity: Martina Santurri  Sound designer: Enrico Cabua

Ep. 6 - Democracy Is a System Not a Person, with Thomas Carothers

For the sixth episode of Budapest, I was joined by Thomas Carothers — senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, and one of the world's leading scholars of democratic backsliding and democracy promotion. From the United States to Poland, autocracies don't rise by chance — they follow a playbook. Together with Thomas, we explore how that playbook deploys, how to recognise it before it's too late, and why a solid system of checks and balances remains democracy's most reliable defence. European democracies are under pressure too: from the economic fragility of the middle class, and from a failure to make the case for what immigration actually brings. Yet Carothers reminds us that democracy is an ongoing process — and there is always time to challenge our own way of thinking. In this episode: ∙ The pressures on Western democracies ∙ The legacy of Donald Trump's presidency on the US system ∙ Immigration and diversity: challenges or resources for democracies? ∙ How the autocratic playbook works With reason, not rage. Timestamps 1:05 – Elections in Hungary matter for the EU 4:40 – The turning point in American politics 10:00 – The legacy of Trump's presidency 16:00 – Building democracy is a cultural process 18:50 – Why the autocratic playbook spread 22:20 – The anti-LGBTQ+ propaganda 25:40 – Weaknesses in Western Europe 30:50 – All the reasons why we need immigration 33:40 – The Polish case and the role of the judiciary 37:30 – Democracy can always get back 41:00 – Get out of your bubble Author and host: Ivan Scalfarotto Editor and social media: Ludovica Taurisano Graphic designer: Paola De Bartolo Visual identity: Martina Santurri Sound designer: Enrico Cabua