# Where are the Zohran Mamdanis of Europe?

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-europeans-european-news-politics-and-culture-1128102/where-are-the-zohran-mamdanis-of-europe
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-europeans-european-news-politics-and-culture-1128102/where-are-the-zohran-mamdanis-of-europe.md
Podcast: [The Europeans | European news, politics and culture](https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-europeans-european-news-politics-and-culture-1128102)
Published: 2026-04-09T09:35:00+00:00
Episode link: https://europeanspodcast.com
Audio file: https://episodes.captivate.fm/episode/59f40ef8-b09a-4d6b-a68f-eed8ca5a3440.mp3
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/the-europeans-european-news-politics-and-culture-1128102/episodes/where-are-the-zohran-mamdanis-of-europe
Duration seconds: 4115

## Resource

A few weeks back, we asked you to weigh in on a question that’s been on our mind a lot lately: Who are the Zohran Mamdanis of Europe, and when, pray tell, are they going to give our beloved, ailing continent a much-needed shake-up? As it turns out, that’s a complicated question. This week’s guest, Brussels-based journalist Dave Keating, says that the decks are stacked against insurgent outsiders like the New York mayor – yet we need them more than ever. We had a long-overdue chat with Dave about what might be preventing a charismatic, insurgent figure on the left from taking off in the EU, and we also talked about a few of the leaders you wrote in to share with us. (Of course, keep us posted of any changemakers cropping up in your country at hello@europeanspodcast.com .) We’re also talking about a controversial new law in Germany introducing voluntary military service in the country for men under the age of 45. We recorded this segment a few hours before the news that young men will not have to seek permission for long stints abroad after all; you can read updated reporting here . We also unpack Netflix’s failed legal challenge to EU regulations that led to a flood of funding for European TV and film production. A burning question has now been answered: yes, the US streaming giant really does have to set aside a decent budget for francophone Belgian content. This week’s Inspiration Station recommendations are the viral videos emerging from Zara Larsson’s tour and Juhani Karila’s book Summer Fishing in Lapland , brought to our attention by listener Monika. Resources for this episode: Dave Keating’s website Dave’s book The Owned Continent UK Green Party leader Zack Polanski on the BBC’s Political Thinking “Why a legal challenge by Netflix and Disney in Belgium could have…

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## Transcript

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