Turning the tide: how Poland defeated the populists

 

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In this episode

The last decade or so has witnessed the seemingly unstoppable rise of populism across Europe and the world. The ruling Law and Justice party in Poland were one example of the trend and there were no signs they were going anywhere. But a couple of weekends ago, Poland voted for a change. We explore the shock result, how we got here and what drove the record turnout with Piotr Buras and Anne Applebaum. Then we speak to young climate activist Dominika Lasota about her role mobilising women in the election. What can we learn from Poland and is there hope on the horizon?

Guests

Piotr Buras, the Head of the European Council on Foreign Relations’ Warsaw Office (@PiotrBuras1 / @ecfr

Anne Applebaum, Staff Writer at The Atlantic and Pulitzer-prize winning historian (@anneapplebaum / @TheAtlantic)

Dominika Lasota, climate activist and co-founder of the climate campaign group Wschód (@lasotellia / @wschod)

More info

Read Anne's article in the Atlantic: 'Poland Shows that Autocracy is not Inevitable'

Read analysis from the ECFR about Poland's future and its relationship with Poland

Find out more about Wschód

We’ll be back with another episode next Monday, but keep your ideas and suggestions coming in. Get in touch with us via our website or on our social media. We love to hear from you!