What Next for Populism?

  • Date: Wednesday 20 May 2026
  • Time: 18:30 - 20:00 (followed by a reception)
  • Location: Central Brussels TBA

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Join MCC Brussels for a timely and provocative discussion to launch Frank Furedi’s latest book: ‘In Defence of Populism’.

As voters across Europe express growing concerns about border control, migration, cultural identity, and economic pressures, ‘In Defence of Populism’ argues that these anxieties reflect a deeper demand: the desire for a meaningful democratic voice. Furedi challenges what he describes as a persistent “anti-populist propaganda war” questioning whether dismissals of populism obscure a broader unease with popular sovereignty itself.

Furedi argues, rather than being equivalent to any specific ideology, populism is a broad disposition towards public life that stresses the value of giving the ordinary citizen a genuine voice in political decision-making. He critiques the widespread disdain expressed towards populism for more commonly revealing the desire of those who run our institutions to keep real authority in the hands of unaccountable elites who veil their power under the guise of 'expertise'.

At a time when populism dominates headlines-and divides opinion-this event brings together two of Europe’s most incisive voices for a dynamic, head-to-head exchange of ideas. Furedi will be joined by Matthew Karnitschnig, Editor-in-Chief of Euractiv and former Chief Europe Correspondent for Politico, for a conversation that promises insight, challenge, and intellectual energy rather than simple consensus.

Described by James Orr as a ‘vital’ dissection of ‘the moral panic around populism’ and as ‘essential reading’ by Matt Goodwin for ‘making sense of the so-called ‘culture wars’ in the West’, Furedi’s latest intellectual salvo encourages us to think afresh about the promise of our era.

What are the prospects for populist and national conservative parties across Europe to build beyond their existing base and address the concerns of voters over national sovereignty, border control, migration, and cultural continuity? Can the habitual dismissal of populists as far right xenophobes and the ritual demonisation of the populist spirit be effectively countered?

Join us for a lively and important discussion of the demand-driven nature of the populist moment fuelled by the concerns of a growing section of society that feels it lacks a meaningful political voice.

Signed copies of ‘In Defence of Populism’ will be available on the night or can be purchased via Amazon here.

Speakers

Frank Furedi, Executive Director, MCC Brussels; author and social commentator; Emeritus Professor of Sociology, University of Kent.

Author of more than 26 books, Furedi's studies have been devoted to an exploration of the cultural developments in Western societies. His most recent book, The War on the Past (Polity, 2024), was a lively attack on attempts by progressives to render our historical inheritance toxic.

His research has been oriented towards the way that risk and uncertainty are managed by contemporary culture. His two influential books, The Culture of Fear and Paranoid Parenting, investigated the interaction between risk consciousness and perceptions of fear, trust relations and social capital in contemporary society.

Matthew Karnitschnig, Editor-in-Chief, Euractiv.

Matthew Karnitschnig joined Euractiv in January 2025. Previously, he served as Chief Europe Correspondent at Politico, which he joined in 2015 upon its European launch. Before that, he spent 15 years at The Wall Street Journal as a reporter and editor in both the U.S. and Europe. During his tenure at the Journal, he played a leading role in covering several historic financial events, including the fall of Lehman Brothers and the Eurozone crisis.Over the course of nearly three decades, he has also worked as a staff writer and correspondent for BusinessWeek, Reuters, and Bloomberg. Together with his colleagues at the Journal, he was a two-time Pulitzer Prize finalist and received both the Gerald Loeb Award - the highest honor in American financial journalism - and an Overseas Press Club Award.

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