Are European leaders living in a Barbie-like dreamworld? This week, the idealised fantasy of the EU versus its awkward reality. Far from being a continent of grateful europhiles, a lot of people feel apathetic about the European project at best. Paweł Zerka joins us to discuss why non-white, young and Eastern Europeans feel especially left out of the EU, and what we can do to fix this.

 

We're also joined by Deutsche Welle's Kate Laycock for a special guest edition of Good Week, Bad Week! We discuss how victory was snatched from the AfD in last weekend's state elections in Brandenburg, as well as the backlash against tax hikes on books in both Slovakia and the Netherlands.

 

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You can read Paweł's report here. The European Sentiment Compass is a joint initiative of the European Council on Foreign Relations and the European Cultural Foundation. 

 

Kate is the presenter of DW's Inside Europe. You'll be able to catch Katy and Dominic on the show next week! 

 

Inspiration Station offerings:

'What language does your inner child speak?' - The First 1,000 Days 

'How Libraries Thrive' - you can read the whole book online here 

 

Other resources for this episode: 

'German far-right AfD song calls for deporting millions - DW News

'Elderly Romanian woman used amber nugget worth over $1 million as a doorstop for decades' - El País

 

00:22 Insure yourselves, people!

04:07 Good Week: Dietmar Woidke (Special edition with Kate Laycock from Deutsche Welle)

12:24 Bad Week: Book-lovers in Slovakia and the Netherlands

22:00 Interview: Paweł Zerka on the Barbie-like European Union

39:13 The Inspiration Station: 'The First 1,000 Days' and 'How Libraries Thrive'

43:45 Happy Ending: The world's fanciest door-stop?

 

Mixing and mastering: Wojciech Oleksiak

Music: Jim Barne and Mariska Martina