{"podcast":{"title":"Origin Story","slug":"origin-story-5452720","podcast_index_feed_id":5452720,"rss_url":"https://feeds.megaphone.fm/originstory","website_url":null,"image_url":"https://megaphone.imgix.net/podcasts/9e94abb2-d5e6-11ec-ad02-7b0263135b23/image/Show_Cover-Origin_Story.jpeg?ixlib=rails-4.3.1&max-w=3000&max-h=3000&fit=crop&auto=format,compress","author":"Podmasters","episode_count":115,"summary":"What are the real stories behind the most misunderstood and abused ideas in politics? From Conspiracy Theory to Woke to Centrism and beyond, Ian Dunt and Dorian Lynskey dig into the astonishing secret histories of concepts you thought you knew. Want to support us in making future seasons? There are now two ways you can help out: • Patreon – Get early episodes, live Zooms, merchandise and more from just £5 per month. • Apple Podcasts – Want everything in one place with one easy payment? Subscribe to our premium feed on Apple Podcasts for ad-free shows early and bonus editions too. From Podmasters, the makers of Oh God, What Now?, American Friction and The Bunker.","last_synced_at":null,"page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/origin-story-5452720"},"episode":{"title":"European Union – Part Three – The Expanse","slug":"european-union-part-three-the-expanse","published_at":"2026-05-13T03:00:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/origin-story-5452720/european-union-part-three-the-expanse","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/origin-story-5452720","url":"https://pscrb.fm/rss/p/traffic.megaphone.fm/NSR5179409412.mp3?updated=1778011479","audio_url":"https://pscrb.fm/rss/p/traffic.megaphone.fm/NSR5179409412.mp3?updated=1778011479","summary":"Hello and welcome to the final part of the story of European union, in which we finally see the European Union come to pass — and run into trouble. The transition begins with Jacques Delors, a pragmatic idealist in the mould of Jean Monnet, orchestrating Europe’s great leap forward. As the Berlin Wall comes down (and so does Margaret Thatcher), the balance of power shifts from France to a reunited Germany. In 1992, the 12 member states sign the Maastricht Treaty, which turns the EEC into the EU and sets a timetable for a common currency, the euro. This is the peak of European confidence and ambition. As the EU takes on the challenges of assimilating Eastern Europe and achieving monetary union, inertia sets in and Euroscepticism emerges as a political force. The failure to agree a constitution is nothing compared to the eurozone crisis beginning in 2009. The crisis is ethical as well as financial, pitting German bankers against the Greek people and making the EU seem, for the first time, cruelly doctrinaire. Delors wails that it is “killing Europe”. Eurozone drama and anti-immigrant populism make 2016 an ominous year for the UK to vote on whether to remain in the EU. The “Yes!” of 1975 becomes an angry “No!” And yet the chaos of Brexit shows other restive nations what there is to lose. Perhaps it is existential danger, from Trump and Putin’s anti-European nationalism to populism and the pandemic, that makes the project feel essential despite everything. Perhaps the EU is remembering what it stands against, and therefore what it is for. Did the end of the Cold War actually make life harder for the European project? Why, after 1992, did the EU add members but lose momentum? What weaknesses were exposed by the eurozone crisis? How did the question of membership come to con…","meta_description":"Hello and welcome to the final part of the story of European union, in which we finally see the European Union come to pass — and run into trouble. The tr…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":5003,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/origin-story-5452720/episodes/european-union-part-three-the-expanse/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/origin-story-5452720/european-union-part-three-the-expanse.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}