Pepijn Bergsen

Nou mogen we van die dictators in Brussel zelfs niet meer ons eten roeren met onze eigen koptelefoons!

Now that everyone is paying attention to Hungary thanks to Orbán’s threats to EU Ukraine policy, an obviously cynical campaign ploy, it’s another good moment to remind everyone we’ve been talking about the election and scenarios such as these for the last two months. This is our latest episode:

Finally some juicy stuff to talk about this week: a sex tape scandal and speculating how the election could be stolen, and some drama for the nerds in our discussion on the Hungarian central bank

Likewise, I really enjoyed the conversation. Thanks so much for having me on, @pbergsen.bsky.social and Tim!

“Trump hasn't been the boon to Orbán that many expected” Zselyke Csaky on the foreign-policy impact of Hungary's election

Enjoyed discussing the European implications of the Hungarian election with @zecsaky.bsky.social and her explaining to me why in several cases I don't quite get it
twentyfourtwo.substack.com/p/trump-hasn...

🔊New Podcast out! “Trump hasn't been the boon to Orbán that many expected”

@zecsaky.bsky.social from @centreeuropeanref.bsky.social on the European impact of Hungary's election on the Twenty-Four Two podcast with @pbergsen.bsky.social and Tim G. Jones.

twentyfourtwo.substack.com/p/trump-hasn...

🔊Podcast: “People are waiting for change, so there is a huge expectation”

Hungarian 'red baron' Gábor Bojár explains why liberals should use Péter Magyar's to topple Viktor Orbán on the Twenty-Four Two Podcast. with @pbergsen.bsky.social and Tim G. Jones.

twentyfourtwo.substack.com/p/people-are...

That's fair, would've been good to discuss political interference more broadly anyway because it doesn't just happen in Hungary

"The central bank take over of MAGA dreams" A Hungarian playbook for taming the Federal Reserve

Given Trump’s heavy handed attempts to control the Fed, we thought it would be a good time to do a podcast on how the Hungarian government went about taking control of its central bank a decade ago with a former deputy governor who was at the MNB at the time open.substack.com/pub/twentyfo...

Biggest lie of the day must be him claiming to "actually like Emmanuel Macron"

🔊242.news podcast: “Péter Magyar is a much more dangerous opponent for the government than any other former challenger”.

2026 Hungary election special co-hosted by @pbergsen.bsky.social with pollster Dániel Róna on how Viktor Orbán can still win:

open.substack.com/pub/twentyfo...

"The point is how Orbán can react to a possible defeat" Stefano Bottoni on Viktor Orbán's political odyssey

In our second podcast ahead of the Hungarian election we spoke about Orbán's political and ideological journey with his biographer Stefano Bottoni
twentyfourtwo.substack.com/p/the-point-...

"The point is how Orbán can react to a possible defeat" Stefano Bottoni on Viktor Orbán's political odyssey

🔊242.news podcast: "The point is how Orbán can react to a possible defeat".

2026 Hungary election special co-hosted by @pbergsen.bsky.social with Stefano Bottoni on Viktor Orbán's political odyssey.

Listen and subscribe (free) to www.242.news at: twentyfourtwo.substack.com/p/the-point-...

🔊Podcast: “Hungary is to the American right what Sweden used to be to the American left” New podcast series on Europe's pivotal 2026 election

🔊Podcast: “Hungary is to the American right what Sweden used to be to the American left”.

The new weekly 'Twenty-Four Two' 2026 Hungary election special series opens with @kimlanelaw.bsky.social.

Listen and subscribe (free) to www.242.news at: twentyfourtwo.substack.com/p/podcast-hu...

🔊Podcast: “Hungary is to the American right what Sweden used to be to the American left” New podcast series on Europe's pivotal 2026 election

In the first episode of a podcast series ahead of the Hungarian election in April, my colleague Tim Jones has @kimlanelaw.bsky.social on to discuss how Orbán spread his ideas to the rest of Europe and the US. I’m rather biased but thought this was very insightful. open.substack.com/pub/twentyfo...

🔊Podcast: “Hungary is to the American right what Sweden used to be to the American left” New podcast series on Europe's pivotal 2026 election

Tim Jones has a new podcast series spotlighting Hungary as part of the spread of autocratic threats to democracy around the world. New episodes will drop every Sunday from now thru the HU election. I'm delighted to be the first guest to kick off the series! substack.com/home/post/p-...

Uhm excuse you, we’re not interested in being shackled to that economic corpse, thank you very much.

So my point is really that a discussion over a few tientjes of eigen risico is not enough of a discussion on redistribution

It’s not really the communication that I’m talking about though, it’s that the underlying discussion is so limited in its different options. That finds its expression really clearly for me in the very small differences in policy proposals for the eigen risico (ignoring unrealistic Wilders stuff)

My point is not that they talk about big issues in this roundabout way but that they do that through small beer bickering instead of a real differentiation.

That's fair, probably too strong in that and the shift from some of them on that issue is actually relevant and interesting. Don't think that changes my main point though (which is that I find the bickering over de eigen risico very very very annoying)

The Dutch choose optimism over anti-immigrant populism Rob Jetten fends off Geert Wilders

Here’s one of those takes I disagree with. This wasn’t a contest between Jetten and Wilders economist.com/europe/2025/...

“We now go live to Venray for a key race alert!”

False choice "Victory" for the Dutch centre is welcome but Pyrrhic

I found the campaign in the Netherlands very frustrating and was even more annoyed by all the hot takes suggesting the result marked a defeat for the populists, so I tried to write my anger away open.substack.com/pub/twentyfo...

De Commissie houdt dit al een tijdje in de gaten (publiceren maandelijks een onleesbaar rapport waarin textiel inderdaad naar voren komt als een sector waarin import vanuit China sterk toeneemt terwijl prijzen dalen). Ze hebben ook al gezegd dat ze maatregelen nemen zodra er genoeg bewijs is.

Complete coincidence that the European Commission decided to demonstrate the benefits of the tariff ceiling they negotiated with the US with a comparison with a country with a 10% tariff. It could refer to either Brazil or the United Kingdom, wonder which one they were thinking of.

The German people have spoken: they want their Schwarze Null and crumbling infrastructure back

Going to try to get "racist makelaar party JA21" into our style guide

A classic bit of EuroCope to suggest the Europeans caving to Trump was due to strategic errors. In reality, they're unwilling to suffer the economic pain required to do so. The French should know this after they folded instantly when Trump threatened to tariff wine earlier this year.

When will I be able to get my grubby Western European hands on it?