The Duran Podcast - The future of the European Union w/ Fidias Panayiotou (Live)

Episode Date: April 8, 2025

The future of the European Union w/ Fidias Panayiotou (Live)

All right. We are live with Alexander Mercuris in London. And with us, first time on the Duran. We are very honored and very happy to have Fidias Barayote. Fidias is a parliament member in the European Union, a truly independent member of the parliament in the European Union. Fidia, are you in Brussels at the moment? Can you say where you are? talking from the European Parliament and I'm going to say, guys, that I feel very intimidated here. You guys are both smarter than me and I don't know why you have me on.

But I have a lot of insights from the European Parliament and from my own perspective. I'm 20, I'm turning 25 years old tomorrow. So it will be I'm the youngest man in the European Parliament. So we're going to talk about the UN my experience being one year in the European Parliament. Yep, you are on the inside. And we are old to have you on, by the way, just to say. Absolutely, absolutely. So, PdiyS, is there any social media that you want to plug before we get started?

No, no, no. I don't want to plug any social media. Let's get into the real conversation. Okay, let's get into the real conversation. Let's say a quick hello to everyone that's watching us on Odyssey, on Rock Finn, on Rumble, and also on YouTube and our locals. I want to thank the people that they are buying their major guys and all the supporters because they keep you going to make this information. And also I am consuming a lot of your stuff, guys.

So I am learning also through your videos about the news and all this stuff. So it's amazing. Like you think you are doing this and you are with yourself. Alex is walking in random streets in random countries. Alex is from his library there. But you are affecting the world because a lot of the things. times I decide how to vote based on a lot of stuff that you are talking about. So I think the impact that you have is a lot bigger than you actually think.

Well, Alexander, let's jump into it with what the idea said. Alexander. Well, any, let's do that because, of course, you are there at the center of the European Union. It is a European Union which is perhaps in crisis. I don't think crisis is too strong a word. A friend of mine, Ian Proud, a British diplomat, ardent European, now questions whether it will survive at all. Many people are asking that question.

There's been comments about whether the European institutions are functional anymore, whether the European Parliament is working effectively, and what even it does exactly, there's been suggestions that the only thing that is holding the European Union together are various funds that Ursula von der Leyen is creating, plus a anti-Russian campaign, which appears to grow ever more shrill by the hour. And as we've discussed Alex and I,

in various recent programs, confronted by Donald Trump and his tariffs and the economic and political earthquake, that is, political leaders across the Union, and in my own country, Britain, which is no longer in theory part of the Union, but is realigned with it. So you're talking mostly about Ukraine and Russia and the threat about it and not about, I think, the real concerns and worries and fears of the citizens, the people of Europe. So, yes, you are in the European Parliament. You've been following politics there for a year now. You've got the measure, I suspect, of your MPs, your fellow MPs.

You've seen how the system works there. Can you tell us a little bit, first of all, about how attractive it is or not, as it may be? Okay, I want, because I just picked my mind, guys, sorry if I offend anyone or you guys, but I want to disagree a bit what you are saying, Alexander. I think, yes, European politics is in crisis, but let's take a step back. humanity is improving slowly, slowly as humanity. We'll see 50 years ago, 20 years ago, we are improving. So if you take the microscope and jump into the politics of Europe,

yes, I agree with you. It's a mess. But if you take the big picture, because your guy's job is to talk about the news and all this stuff that are happening, and the micro things that are happening. But I'm just making that a common as civilization, we're going forward, step by step. Sometimes we take one step behind backwards to go two step forwards.

But I think overall we're improving. Maybe you disagree with this, but I don't know. I actually do agree with you before you continue for the years. But of course, it's the European institutions that we have to talk about because we're at your political channel. But you're absolutely right. We go back with humanity continues. It's progress, it's arc of progress. The question is, what about our own region?

What about Europe and the institutions at the center of it? So I came here. By the way, I think one here, I was thinking what can I provide value to the viewers today coming? Because a lot of the smart people, I assume that they are watching us. So I want to also talk later about it's important for everyone to know how a bit I got elected. Guys, I got elected. I'm 20. I was 24 years old. I was a YouTuber before doing pranks. And just by the power of social media

using live streams and TikTok videos and all this stuff, I was the most voted member of the European Parliament in my country as an independent. So also later I want to talk about how social media are changing the political landscape and they're changing politics, maybe forever. So it's interesting to talk about that as well. But let's jump what the question you asked me. Here in the European Parliament, I came and I thought that, first of all, I can change the world. I can improve the word of being a member of the European Parliament. But the reality is that one member of the European Parliament has almost no power, because how big the institutions are and how difficult we have the European Commission,

the Council of the European Union, the ministers also, the European Parliament, to a trial to decide about the stuff. So one member even cannot affect much. So I was a bit disappointed by my power. But to not say that we cannot do nothing. For example, today I'm very happy because one amendment in my committee of budgetary control pass that we can use military funds for dual use, these new European rear-euro, which I'm against, I voted against I'm, you guys agree as well, but they are going to do it anyway.

So I put an amendment to put or give also dual use capabilities for islands, like my country, Cyprus. So European funds will go now to Cyprus because of me, which is interesting to see the capabilities of a member of the European countries, not zero power, but you actually don't have a lot of power actually to change Europe. I don't think we can't change Europe, and that's the problem because how the system works It's like we can, that's my actual question here. Because I agree with you guys.

Europe politically is lost direction. We don't have leaders. And like the question from the Damaskin here from the inside, how do we change this thing? And, you know, the biggest problem that I came up with is the language barrier. Like, seriously, because we don't have the common narrative. We don't have shared the same problems as Europeans. We don't understand the problems.

we're struggling with we don't understand the problems of the EU yes your channel makes it huge accessible bad guys what only in english so italians cannot have access that they don't to your channel spain spanish speaking people as well so it's as a germans as well so it's a big problem i think that's why we are not we cannot really change drastically things but for the first time i think i'm hopeful about this because i'm good for friends with Mr. Beast. Mr. Bees is the biggest YouTuber in the world. He has like 400 million subscribers. And he, uh, he dubs a majority of his viewers are getting from different languages. He gets in every video for 200 million views and majority of his viewers are because he's

dubbed in Indian language, Spanish, Hindi language, Spanish language, German language, Russian language. So it's the first time now with AI that we can, now do this at scale we can have the common european stuff we can and like i was thinking from the inside how the fact we change the european union because you guys are saying we're lost direction but i i tried to see okay how do we solve this how do we change this from the inside which i agree with you we lost direction and the only thing that i came up with i already spoke with alex about this but not not in the program or not publicly the only thing that i came up with is to create kind of a European party in every country in Europe, like a political party,

and to get MPs in the European, members of the European Parliament, to have the majority, and then like 300, and then you can do all of stuff, because in total we're 720. So if you have a lot of them, you can actually, next time that Ursula von der Leyen will come, you're going to say, no, fuck Ursula, we don't elect you, and you are going to make deals with other people. So I think that's one way because of the bureaucracy and because it's also I agree with you guys like you are saying that ministers, the member prime ministers, they are like local mayors. I agree with you what you are saying. So there is not a lot of power. So all the power is centralized to Europe in a way, but how do we change this? So but now with social media

and the power that I came with to be elected as an independent to get the most votes in my country. Cyprus, only with social media, if this is possible to happen in a lot of different countries and campaign also in different European countries, which this is kind of a crazy idea that I have, like, to make an app, we're going to test it. We'll have elections in one year in Cyprus.

We're thinking to test it, local elections for the parliament. We're going to be, it will be. be an up for direct democracy. So people will elect themselves inside the members of the parliament that they want. And everyone can apply to become a member. And they will see their CV, and we're going to find a way to do it.

So we're building it now, this software. And we're going to see it for it will work. But if this will work in Cyprus, the direct democracy, there is nothing stopping us except the language, which I think in two, three years will be solved, to do this in other countries. This is been tried before, it's vault, but it's not very successful.

They have like a vault, they have five members of the European Parliament and they're losing a bit of power now in the German elections. They didn't do as well. They got like 0.7 election, the Volt party. So this is some interesting thoughts that I really wanted to share because this is the unique value that I'm bringing into the show, unique perspective. But yeah, comment, questions or no, absolutely. And this takes us again directly back to your first point, which is how you, how you manage to get elected into the European Parliament. Because I can tell you, certainly in Britain, it's very difficult for outsiders to break through the political system.

I mean, the way in which politics works, not just in Britain, but in most countries, makes it very difficult for someone like yourself to break through. And yet you did, and you got, as you said, the highest polls, the largest number of votes of any candidates. So perhaps you could tell us a bit about that. Okay. So well, it's not a lot of different to what you are doing, guys. Basically, I'm honest.

I'm real on social media because this is the currency of the new word being truthful to yourself, honest, kind of speaking your truth. And this really sells on social media if you are yourself. So I using this. So I did two, three things on social. By the way, guys, it's. It's very interesting. I will walk you through the road of how I got the most votes,

which is kind of very beautiful because I didn't have any plan from the beginning, but because social media was kind of pivoting my plan, because I was uploading the video, I saw a good response, a video, and then the next day I was saying more about this video. And then I was testing immediately narratives, ideas, and then I found the best ideas is anti-establishment, And then I found my narrative to trial and error with the videos. And slowly, slowly I saw what people liked in a way.

Okay, when I go to villages and I meet with grandpas and all this stuff, and I make videos and live streams with them and knocking on doors and going to festivals. People love this to come in a live stream for me to meet the real. So I was testing and learning, testing and learning the feedback of the people. And I was doing everyday live stream. I was also a very important thing that I was doing, having a podcast I have the biggest podcast in Cyprus also Alex was recently in the podcast so and like 50,000 people listen to it. Cyprus has only one million population but if 50,000

people watch your thing like for a lot of podcasts that you do it then it's up that like half of the population over a year will listen one of your podcasts because it's different topics every week and all this stuff. So if half of the population spends one hour with you, they feel connected with you. They feel that they know you. They feel that they know your ideas. And like, da-da, Trump did the same thing, ladies and gentlemen. So he played too much into this narrative. He did podcasts, long for podcasts and all this stuff. He made, he met with young people like me that they are very famous in the United States. and they went to their live stream, they made TikTok together and all this stuff. So this is the new political thing.

And I think, like we see also now with Ireland, McGregor Putin as a candidate for prime minister, how they have it there. So I think the power that we have as influencer is very interesting, and it's not like celebrities. It's a bit different because celebrities are like they are disconnected. I can't hear Yeah Can you hear me now?

Yeah, I can hear you Yeah So the celebrities are this Highland of people that you are not very connected But the YouTubers and this type of people Celebrities in now age Streamers and all this stuff

You really know their character You really get connected to them So I think they are going to be Different politics And I'm hopeful I'm very hopeful Because a lot of people Will be inspired

after all this and a lot of YouTubers and all to change these political landscape. Because to be honest, I'm 25 years old. And I don't have a political experience and I'm just have one year, just eight months in the parliament. And I feel that it's not, I am a lot better in some ways that other MEPs that they spend 50 years in the parliament. So it doesn't say that because you are inexperienced, you are not going to be effective. Also, Elon Musk didn't know anything about rockets, and now he sends 90% of the payload. He started with paper, 90% of the payload of the world with his company. So I think if one of the things that I'm trying to do is to inspire also the young generation

to feel that they can become politicians because everyone hates politicians. Like, you don't, I went to Greece, and I was with a taxi driver, and they were saying, one good deed that I will do is go kill every member of the European Parliament. And they are, like, people hate politicians. So, what I want to do is, like, for kids now that they want to become YouTubers, every kid, if you ask them, they want to become YouTubers. I want to make it also cool to be a politician. Like, you can be silly, you can, I don't know, I go to the carnival and I'm. I dress costumes for fun and all this stuff. So I want to bring a new element into these projects to make it cool.

So yeah, this is kind of how I achieved to become a member of the European Parliament by a lot of trial and error through social media. And it paved its own way the narrative that I needed to have, which is interesting. How do the other MEPs feel about you? Do you get hostility from the big parties, the European people's party from all of these. I mean, they find you a very difficult person to understand, because on their point of view, I mean, you are intruding into the world that's,

you know, they could- They felt that I was a clown and they were waiting for the time that I would jump on the table and just be naked to make pranks. But I knew that it's coming from the beginning. So the biggest thing coming into a new space is how you become useful. If you are useful to this new space, you are useful to the community, basically. You rise in the ranks in a way, because this is how it happened in the

hunter-cader society generally. This is how life works. If you are useful, you gain more and more power and like-like ability. So my understanding was how to use social media. So I made the, since I became an MEP, we got 2.5 billion. billion views in my videos about the European Union, the most boring things. So I started explaining how the European Union works, how the parliament works, what is the European Commission, what's the job of Ushula Wunderland? And all these videos for a long time, it was good

for the world because nobody knows that's another interesting fact that they are so disassociated, there's just a bubble and nobody cares in the member states about the European policy, cares more about local politics. And a lot of times, like you guys say, that is more important the European politics than the local politics. They affect more important stuff. So to make people understand about this bubble, and anyways, after a lot of months, people, because their kids told them,

I watch Fidias, I watch all this stuff, the members of the parliament, I started to gain some, I think, respect. Still some people, they are a bit weird on me. They think that I am not serious, I'm a kid and all this stuff. But I will say that, for example, today I passed a lot of amendments, like I said, when I did change on regulations and how we are going to do. So people trust me to vote for my staff.

So it's an indication that and also as an independent, I don't have a political party. It's an indication that they take me seriously in a way if they're voting. And I'm getting the majority to pass my staff. Who runs the European Union? Who, where does the power in the European Union? actually lie? Is it with Ursula von the Lion? Is it with other people in the commission? Is it the member states, the Council of Ministers, the Council of the European Council? Who actually is in charge?

You know, I think there are the majority of the prime ministers and presidents that they will go, they are going in the castle and they are deciding how the foreign policy should be of EU and Ursula is just their puppet, I think. She has some agenda, but, I think is their puppet. So I think the Olaf and Macron and all the before, I think these people have the, they're moving the European Union. As we see in their countries,

they are not doing very well. And also as a result, because they have power in the European Union, the European Union is not doing very well. This is how I understood it. But it's, do you have the same feeling? I also, guys? Yep.

You think? As it happens. I mean, the idea that Ursula, frankly, is in a position to dominate anything, if you know anything about her background policies and study her personality, I mean, she is a completely margin, a minimal person. I mean, she has no personality, no charisma, no abilities for organisation. So, yes, I do. I want to stop you, Alexander.

I want to say something that I admire about here. There is not a lot of things, but her ability to read what people are writing to her, to read it with passion and slow and feel like she's saying it, it's amazing. Her way to read from the paper, the stuff that they are writing to her is like no other human being I ever met. Is there a single European point? I mean, does the European Union have a particular political economic direction? Because I feel that it does. I mean, I feel that they are very, very much focused on this idea of the ever closer union,

integration and all of these things. But, I mean, what do you sense? I mean, do you sense a degree of purpose behind this? Is there a mind behind the machine? Are they driving us in one particular direction? Guys, I think your analysis is very good, but I want to try to explain why your analysis is very good from the inside. Because, you know, I met here.

They are not elected members. They are staff members that they've been here for 20, 30 years in this bubble, that they have a lot more power than 10, 20 MEPs combined. Because they decide policy. They are here. They get paid 15, 20,000. $20,000 a month. And this is what Elon Musk is calling as well for the United States,

the bureaucracy. So I think a lot of the times we are attacking the politicians and all this stuff, which they are the surface. But I think this, the bureaucracy is ruling. Like for example, a lot of them, the members of the European Parliament, they are not deciding a lot of the time for their staff. The group decides.

And those people that work in the group for 20, 30 years. So it became a machine with kind of, in a way there is not centralized, they don't have, but because like the people that are attracted and ran this machine, they need to be embodied with the system to say, to always say what the system wants them to say, like, I have a lot of, like, it's crazy. I have a lot of members of the European Parliament that they are very strong, very powerful, that they're in very strong positions, key positions. And they speak inside and we say, in closed doors, they're I say what we're sending to Ukraine is stupid.

We need to stop this war. But they are going to vote on what their party tell them, which is because they don't want to lose the power. They don't want to lose the positions that they get there. So I'm just saying that these bureaucratic system became so much bigger than the actual. I think that's the problem. You are right on your analysis, but I'm trying to explain a bit

from the inside. A system like that, and I've seen systems. like that. I've worked in them. I've worked in them in London, for example. It is very, very difficult to get it to change direction. Does it need reform? Is it efficient at what it does? Or, and is it open to new ideas? So the way that I told you that we can do reform is by what I explain you, to get a lot of members of the European Parliament the majority to have these similar ideas that we have. Why the fact Russia is the enemy? Why we decided now randomly Russia is the enemy?

What's the reason? It harms both of us. It harms also Russia, it harms also us to have this policy. You guys went into why it happened a lot. Also, there is one thing that is underlook in this. in this Ukraine thing that is the minority of a lot of Russian-speaking Ukrainians close to the, which you guys are saying about all this stuff, which is kind of a similar problem that we had in my country, Cyprus. But it's more clear in Cyprus. My country Cyprus has been invaded by Turkey 50 years ago, of course unjustly,

but it was for the reason to defend this minority that was actually oppressed. So Russia used the same thing because the minority was oppressed. A lot of people were saying that they were not allowed to speak English, Russian in their schools. And their textbooks were forced in Ukraine. They were saying that it's a joke. So we all talk Russian, but we are forced to have notebooks in Ukraine and all this stuff. So it was a minority kind, but because they have the same language, it's difficult to understand this, that it was actually a minor.

I don't know if you guys agree with this analysis that I'm making, but yeah, but also NATO and what you are discussing, that Russia provoked the war and all this stuff. But I'm curious to hear also, Alexander, I wanted to ask you this question about my country, Cyprus. You think what's the solution of the Cyprus problem? How we solve this from your analysis that you are doing? I explained before the problem. You don't need to explain for the people that 50 years ago, Turk invaded my country, Cyprus.

But how do we solve this? Well, I think one has to reach out to the community on the other side and explain to them that you share the islands together, that you are all Cypriots, that you have a common identity. and that the looking for the Brig Brother across the sea isn't going to help you very much. One of the big problems, I'm going to say this, I think that where Cyprus has gone wrong in trying to solve the problem is that it's constantly looked to outsiders to help you do so. Turkey, obviously.

Like we're doing, we're trying the European Union. The European Union. the European Union, the United States, Turkey, and of course I'm Greek, Greece as well. Every outsider has its own agenda, its own interests, distinct from those of the Cypriot people. And that, I think, is the fundamental problem. I love you, Alexander. Very interesting. You are right, we're looking too much on the outside. So you are basically saying that we need to look on the inside, try to convince the two communities,

to, but also like one person in my country was going to, is going to say, but the president in the other side, the fake president, whatever we call him, it's controlled by Turkey. So it's like a lot of control of Turkey and there is a lot of people that Turkey move, that now the Turkish Cypriots, they are the minority. So it's a lot more is nuanced the topic than just talk with the other side. How do you answer this?

Well, absolutely, but again, I mean, this is a preview. You must get diverted into these. But I'll say this. You reach, I mean, you point out to people from the original Cypriot Turkish community who are Cypriots too. I mean, that's always a thing to understand that these outsiders and these people who are controlling them, again, are not going there in the interests of the community itself, which it was supposedly Turkey's purpose to protect.

They are agents of a foreign power. pursuing its own interests. Now that may create problems, tensions within that community, but that ultimately might be in their own interests to see and understand that and to explain to them that there is a

community of interests within the communities. Now, you talk about social media. Social media has a role to play. Greek social media amongst people, young people, especially in Cyprus, Greek Cyprus.

Greek Cyprus, young people in the area to the north as well, the area which Turkey occupies. But let's, I mean, these are big topics. I understand. Maybe, maybe we should. I just was dying to ask your advice. Sorry, people that we were not interested in this topic. We need a committed program to this. If we go, if we go back to the European Union, I mean, I think one of the problems with a problem like Cyprus, is that the European Union is so involved in it,

because the European Union has its own particular agendas, which may not identify. And so attached to Turkey now. They want to buy guns from Turkey with this new Europe and all this stuff. So we ask them, please help us, but they have exactly, they want to strengthen the friendship with Europe, with Turkey, how this will be possible. But also, I try to understand, this.

I'm confused. This is Europe doesn't at all make sense. So we want to be independent from other foreign powers, but the guns that we're going to buy is a majority from UK and Turkey. So how you just don't depend on the United States and you depend on other people. Like this is, and mostly this program, as I understand it, as I'm reading the lot, is a way to help Ukraine.

Yeah, ultimately it is. But I mean, you actually put your finger, I think, on on the key issue, because security for the people of Europe cannot ultimately be achieved through rearmament. It can only be achieved through peace in Europe. That I would have thought is a fundamental point. And I get to say it straight away. This is another question I want to ask you. I mean, is there actually a real voice for me? peace in the European Parliament because I accept that there are people like yourself and some others who argue for this. But when I look at the European Parliament as a whole, when I see the resolutions that it passes, the declarations it makes, I don't get the sense that they want

these very much. I mean, they seem to want a permanent confrontation. I mean, what are your thoughts about this so it's for me guys that guys I've got I get crazy we go and vote and we actually vote let's keep majority when I came in the parliament 500 people out of the 720 MEPs out of the 600 that they actually go to vote that day only 100 people only one six of the parliament is no guys stop sending we able to keep this work going for me It's madness. I cannot even believe it. I speak with these people and I don't even understand them.

But there is these 100 people that we're saying. Their majority, I will explain you. The parliament is divided in eight groups. So we're going to hear more about these, against this, from the left, against the sending weapons to Ukraine, which are very small group. They are around 40 members, if I'm not making mistakes. and from ESN, which is basically AFD of Germany, is the left and right, and also patriots from Europe.

And sometimes ECR, but not, ECR is the Meloni party and stuff. But they still want, ECR wants. So it's basically only 100 people, 120 people that they are trying to do this. But there is also 30 people that they are non-attached. that they don't have a political group in the parliament, which I am a member of, I'm independent. And these kind of people, we are trying to form now, how politics work, as I understand,

is you find a common ground of other people, and you are trying to unite forces about this common thing that you have in common, and you develop a political group. So now, to create a political group, you need to have 20, one members from different countries, seven different countries. Now we found seven different countries, and we have 24 member, 25, if I'm mistaken.

We're trying to find another one member from a different country because we don't want immediately them to have a veto power in a way to say, I want to say, I live, and if you don't do what I'm, and because the party will be dissolved. So we want another delegation, how we call it here in the European parliament to vote a new political group with the umbrella of peace. Let's stop fucking sending weapons and that will kind of send a stronger message out in the world and also in the parliament

if we just create a group about this to shake a bit things up. I'm not going to lie. I don't like Trump about everything but it played a huge role. I see like in the parliament now Now, some votes are shifting that because before they were voting pro-Ukraine to send weapons, but with the interventions on Trump, I speak with them and all this stuff. They say con-guess. And also they say that they come to the media and they say that the war was provoked. Rubio said this and all this stuff, which is cool to see. So a lot of people are having this trend now.

Hopefully a lot more people will wake up on this. And it's just stupidity. Like we didn't beat Russia with United States. We are going to beat it without it. How stupid we are. And they are not fighting just a war. They are fighting like Jeffrey Sachs put it. We had him in the parliament.

There is existential topic for the topic about existence. We just fight in the borders. We don't really care about it. We just said weapons. They are fighting for their country in a way. So how you are going to beat that? They have a lot of leverage, a lot of. So, yeah, it's madness.

What can I say, guys, I'm here trying to understand. And as much as I understand, I get more than angry. Absolutely. No, I mean, you are in the European Parliament. You represent obviously a constituency in Cyprus. But would you agree with, I mean, I think you do agree, but I mean, the fact that this does not represent the wider, the will of the people no no no no the will of the people no no especially in Cyprus like I think

90% of the people don't want I'm sure Alex agree 90% of the people they don't want because we are Christians we have a lot of Russians with a lot of Russian people they are in Cyprus so we love Russia and a lot of our tourism was from Russia and we have very similar values to Russian people so like the people have really feel this that is not what we want. But like, we don't have a strong president as well that they could go to the, where the 25, seven ministers are meeting and say, guys, I'm putting a video.

Don't do this bullshit to my country. I don't want to sanction Russia. I don't want to do all this stuff, which, yeah. Also, it's one small population. We don't have much saying in the, I think, but this veto power is interesting. I think Orban is using it in an interesting way, but he's getting a lot of backlash and a lot of attacks

and a lot of his throne of the European funds and all this stuff. He's having a lot of damage from using this in a kind of sneaky way. Absolutely. He plays an extraordinarily complex and very difficult game, and I think he plays it actually very cleverly. Now, we were in Hungary quite recently, and one of the most interesting things that, we saw there is that in Hungary, and this we were talking to Orban's people, people who support him.

I mean, they consider themselves very European. They consider themselves very committed to Europe. Absolutely so. They don't like at all the structure that the European Union has become. They don't consider leaving it, however. I mean, they don't want to turn their back on Europe. I'm with them. Let's change it within.

Let's change the European Union within being in the European Union. So in which direction should it go? Obviously, we can again talk about this for a very long time, but should it go back to being a kind of confederation of states with different policies, foreign policies, or should it try to find some kind of unity with itself on foreign policy? And is there a European public as well as, national publics in individual states well i am i i am like you socrates said you need to have self-awareness where your power limits the only thing i know for certain is that this two foreign policy that

we have is stupid to have all our focus of the enemy of russia but i don't really know i'm just trying to get tangent understand how we can fix this thing or if we need to go or change things and how we change things. But I didn't reach their level yet to understand, but maybe you can suggest that they are open. I mean, because I'll tell you what I feel about the European Union. It is very centralized, but it is also, it is becoming increasingly centralized, but it is also very incoherent because it's objective.

objective is to centralise rather than exactly to govern or to promote government because government isn't something that it can comfortably do because it doesn't have that connection with the people of Europe that successful government always needs. I mean again, I've worked in governments and I've worked in successful governments and unsuccessful ones. And unsuccessful governments, in my experience, are those that are very, very separated from the people.

If you're very close to the people, if you have a sense of, you know, the pulse of life amongst the people you are governing, young people, old people of every kind, then you're much more likely to understand what's necessary. needed. And of course, in order to do that, you have to go amongst them, which is where we

come back to social media and its role. Yeah, it sounds interesting, but I want to, because I want to add stuff to the conversation, but I'm not sure about this, but I want to bring one example how they are forcing their agenda, the European Union. So I want to, I want you to understand a bit, people that they're watching as a very sneaky way that they're doing it guys. So they are, we have a resolution and it talks about something injustice that Russia did and they bring specific two, three examples that you cannot argue with this, like they put this prison in in this person in prison unjustly. They put this, which there are stuff that happened, they

have big population and because, but you, you cannot vote again. against this thing because you want to protect the prisoners or so the text says that fuck Russia, fuck, we need to kill, we need to send more stuff to Ukraine. So they find the way all these resolutions and all the stuff that were voting to put an emotion through it to convince everyone to to vote for this because they cannot vote against someone going out of prison or some. So it's a very manipulative method that they use which I, it all always

in most of the stuff we're doing. We're very biased too. We only care about Russia. What Israel is doing, we're not as vocal. What Turkey did two, not as vocal. We only are selective. So if we were coherent about the stuff that we're doing. But anyway, this is kind of how they are passing these policies,

these crazy policies. They're finding kind of a hook thing. But Alexander, I'm sorry, I cannot contribute too much to how we fix Europe. Maybe we'll do it in one year. No, no, no, no. We are actually contributing an awful lot, by the way. We're having a good discussion about it. Can I just ask something else for this?

When you go back to Cyprus, when you talk to people there, when you talk to the people that have elected you, are they, how engaged are they in the mechanics of what you're doing? I mean, is this something that you can actually... They fucking love it. Like, it's crazy because they get a new one's approach because I don't go and say, oh, hello guys, this is what we said today in the European Parliament. They came up with a resolution to support Cyprus.

I take them with me. So for example, it was the previous week that we were in Strasbourg. Okay, and they did a resolution about Cyprus. And they spoke about the support of for Cyprus for the for the, for the, for the communications that happened now to solve the Cyprus problem with our president and the Turkish Cypriot president and like I made the video about this but I the fact that people inside only 10% of the MEPs which were probably 600 were having their headphones on to listen the translation and they don't know Greek all the MEP spoke in Greek so I exposed this that guys like nobody cares about

us here like not maybe people should show that but why they put on they don't listen they speak with their friends so I see I show them the reality of the parliament I see them what is happening actually behind the scenes and they are dying to know this stuff and they all write in the comments I had the feeling that things are like this but now I know and it's like people want to they want to talk about politics you see it as well guys they are interested to understand how they but they don't know in the way that is been done so far to say okay today European Union came up with a resolution that's

approached Cyprus who cares they show out with actions tell us what so that's why people love this and like that's what that's the only promise that I did when I was elected I don't know anything about politics but guys we're going to go in a journey to discover how Europe works from the inside together well there it is and can I just ask our young people because you're 25 are young people amongst the people who are interested in Cyprus, in what you're telling. I mean, because I'm just going to tell you one thing that I've, my wife is an academic, and she had a recent meeting with one of her former students, who's now 23, and he's an extremely

intelligent young man, but he told her that he doesn't vote and neither do any of his friends. And apparently, well, apparently, I mean, I know for a friend. that that is the general sentiment amongst young people in Britain now. It's not that they're not interested in politics, it's that they've come to the conclusion that politics isn't interested in them, that the political class doesn't care about them, and doesn't really address their needs, doesn't talk to them in any way that they should be talked to, is very condescending to them.

What is your impression? I mean, are these young people that you know in Cyprus? Are they engaged in your accounts, your discussions of what you see in the European Parliament? Are they as interested as other people in Cyprus, older people as well? Well, I am one of them. I never voted in my life, I accept myself when I became a politician when I was the day of the election. So I was one of them. I was not worth it.

I was saying it's not worth it to do with these people. But you know, this is because I was famous in social media, I said if I think like this, and I don't take a step to fix this, the same thing will happen. So like, what Elon Musk said, you need to be the change that you want to see in the world. So it's very difficult to, if you think about it,

like less than 50% of my country, actually votes on elections. So, and that 20% of the 50 that actually votes decides the future of the country, because they have the biggest party. So this is that what we want as a democracy, and also the democracy is a joke. You vote only one person every four years out of the two choices that is bullshit that gives you. So that's why I'm saying, but I'm happy about this Because politics are being done in the same way for so much time now. And there is a lot of room for innovation.

So I'm happy about this stuff that we're doing direct democracy. You choose. So I'm just trying to imagine how the future would look like. And to answer your stuff, I'm just bullshit it. Most of the voters, like we broke the record on my votes about young people voting. We have broke the record of registering to vote

that time of the elections. When I was a candidate, We broke all the records of young people going to vote. Why? Does that say anything? People actually care, but they don't care about how it's done. So if we find new, and I'm not saying that I'm a step forward. Maybe I'll step backwards my candidacy.

But it's something different. I don't know. We need something different because what we have now is not working. So we need to improve it at some point. Maybe you need to trial and error. Let's find out with trial and error what's working. Trial and error is always away. Everything, everything is learned and achieved through that.

Fiddeus, we've been speaking for 50 minutes almost. If you can just wait there, I'm sure Alex has some questions to put to you from our viewers. But thank you very, very much for your, by the way, excellent answers and discussion that we've had. We've even talked about Cyprus. I love this. I love this. This was a pleasure, and it's very beautiful because you guys are my information in getting to talk to you. I feel important as well, which is kind of funny. But yeah, it's very beautiful of what you are doing in the world, and we need to change things. All the world, we need to try new things. We need to improve more conversation about this is always helping to change things. And now with social media, I'm actually hopeful that this is possible.

It's possible. We just need to find the right methodology, test some things, and we can change the bureaucrats ruling us and making stupid decisions on our behalf. Absolutely. Yes, we have some questions from people watching. Stick around for 10 minutes, 10.50 minutes. Is that right? Yes. And if you want, guys, go on the website that we're going to have the questions to listen to them, right?

We're doing this. Well, yeah, we have them on the side. I'll actually, I'll just read them out to you, Fiddez. From Darren, says fantastic to see Fidias on the Duran. Great team up. Thank you, Darren, for that. From Nikos, Fidia, it is great to see someone my age in the EU who also shares the views of my fellow Greeks.

I like your ideas on technological advancements. I applaud you for taking your job seriously. Because it says, I'm not taking my job seriously. I think the most serious thing that you can do is to not take yourself too seriously because have fun and when you have fun, you are enjoying, you are more productive, you are happier. So I have tried to not take my job too seriously. Because, because says, if I can make a recommendation to you as an aspiring nuclear physicist, I believe that Europe's policy on energy should focus on nuclear energy like France.

nuclear plants produce more energy. And last, and last, and last, I always have said that the EU has become like the Soviet Union for the last 10 years. Do you see this cult-like high mind mentality of communism when you convene in the council? Well, I don't know a lot about the Soviet Union to say to draw parallels, but it became something that, is not very effective, so we can't agree on that. But it's interesting. I think about energy, you guys, probably, I agree on the nuclear.

It seems very safe option to go with, but it has a bad connotation. And also solar, especially in my countries, I proves like solar is, we have a lot of sun. So produce, investing on this. But our leaders are kind of stupid because they put a lot of solar parts. but they forgot to have batteries to install to put the solar energy that they're producing.

So now they're wasting a lot of money for the, for Cypriots, because, so do it right if you do it. Don't do it, stupid. Do it right, exactly. Elza says, BDES, are you planning to stay in politics after your time in the EU parliament? You are doing great work. I hope you'll come again on the Duran. Well, I think I will get bored here in this bureaucratic system for after five years. I like to change things and try different things.

I think I like politics. I will stay in politics, maybe in different positions. I don't know. What is it? Commissioner, staff in Cyprus, President of Cyprus, I don't know. Latimeros says thank you, Duran, for inviting such an interesting guest. Kudos and best wishes to Fides in his political. future by the way just to clarify because i said president of cyprus i don't think i'm a good president

for now but i'm improving a lot and i think in a couple of years i may be good absolutely absolutely christina says question perpdias which cyprus beach community is your favorite which cyprus beach community so i like i'm from limasol there is a lot of cool beaches in limazas but prodara's beaches uh they are the the best i think uh we're what is called is the third best beach in European Union. We'll have in Brodara's one very beautiful beach. I forgot the name, but search it on Google. You're going to find it and go there.

Absolutely, absolutely. And from my info says, Fharisto. Guys, I want to thank you for being members, by the way. You keep funding them to give us information. So this is amazing. Thank you from the bottom of the moment. Thank you.

And we'll leave it with Zadayel, who says that was a treat. Thank you at Duran and Fidias. Fadias, thank you so much for joining us, for answering people of questions as well. It was a pleasure to have you with us. And I think we should definitely do a show on. We should definitely do this again. And definitely do one on Cyprus as well. Yes.

And guys, I want to, I spoke with Alex. I want to also invite you to Cyprus to do a... Alexander, you speak Greek, I say... Absolutely. So to do something, and maybe in the future in the next five years, to bring you to do something like what we did with Jeffrey Sachs, to talk in the European Parliament from the inside, to try to change the people's mind on some issues.

It will be cool. It will be cool to keep collaborating in the future. That would be great. We added a sax on this morning, actually, FDS. So he was on the show this morning, and we'll finish the day off with FDES, who is in the European Parliament. Thank you so much, Vythias, for joining us on the Duran. I love you.

It was a pleasure. Take care. Take care of the yes. All the best. Yes. Yasu. Great, fantastic. Absolutely.

Good energy, Vy the S. All right. Alexander, we have some questions to answer, to wrap it up. Michael, welcome to the Duran community, SMM. Welcome to the Duran community. Yadibiyahs, welcome to the DRAD community. Amanti says, have you considered having Peter Vogan on another very interesting and very critical of the EU at Ursula MEP? No, but we should do.

I've heard of him, by the way. Oh, you've heard, okay. We should reach out to him. 674351. Thank you for that super sticker. Tom says, just did my tax return here in the UK. It's getting ridiculous, knowing what they were. waste it all on as well. Zelensky, migrant hotels, etc., depressing.

I'm going through the same process, just the same. Tom says, I'm going to assume the EU and the UK will not be allowing conscientious objector as a reason not to be conscripted into their loony plans this time around. They wouldn't have anyone at all to fight. Well, we haven't yet got there, so let's hope we don't get there. But if we do, heavens help us, give them the authoritarian mood in Europe at the moment. I wouldn't be surprised if you turn out to be right. Marika says Fidias is a lovely guest. Thank you.

Thank you for that. Age Warrior says suggested nickname for Kayakalas. Calis. Callis. Callis. It sounds like one of those Roman emperors. Well said. Well said.

Gorgeous Mayhem says. of the US and EU is very warranted. What about China? Fentanol, currency devaluation, Uighurs, organ harvesting, IP theft. Are all these stories fake news? I don't know, Alexander. Well, I think a lot of them are actually, but that doesn't mean that there aren't lots and lots of things in China to criticize as well. I said this many times, and I want to say this again, I've been to China. I've seen how the country is. It is not a political system. in any way that suits me. I mean, I would not want to live under a political system like that.

It's not my business, though. That's the business for the Chinese. And, you know, there are many other things you could criticize the Chinese for. You could say maybe their trade practices have been predatory as well. I'm not saying that this isn't true. Every country has its faults. And in China's cases, as I said, it's not the kind of political structure that I would want for myself. What more can I say than that?

Monty says, has your opinion of Siersky changed after the New York Times article? Because I personally get the feeling that he actually questioned the adequacy of the plans he was expected to follow in Bahmoud. No, I didn't change my feelings about them because I knew quite a lot about this already. But I think you're actually onto a very good point. which is that a lot of the criticism of Siskisky is that he pushes back. He is a much, much more experience. And by the way, far more highly trained general than Zillusioni was. I've always felt myself that Zillusioni was massively overrated.

I mean, not overrated, but pumped up. I think Syski may actually be the better general. That doesn't make him a very good one. Tom says, have any of you guys read Hans Herman hopes democracy, the God that failed? Thoughts if you have? I haven't, actually. No. I haven't, actually. No. I voted it, though. Let's see. From William, the EU doesn't want peace, not least as the chief mafos in charge would be caught in a web of lies and held responsible for the mother of all debacles.

That is absolutely correct. I agree with that entirely. There's a good article I was reading by somebody called Schneider, something like that, who made roughly the same point as you. And that is, that is everything, Alexander. Let me just do a final check and just wrap it up, Alexander, and I'll just do a final check. It was a great video. I mean, it is good to hear that there are people who are now starting to break into the temple, if I can put it like that. and actually start making their voices heard that because the way in which this whole structure in Europe has evolved has been terrible. And politics doesn't have to be this way. I can remember a time when politics was interesting and engaging,

and dare I say it for a lot of people fun, and I mean that in a positive way. And that's something that we got a bit from 50 years. I can remember that. I remember my aunt, by the way, when she was involved in politics, it was always fun. And Wade says, puppy master says, thank you gentlemen. Wade says Alex Alexander.

Thanks for the content as always. And the post discussion is a nice courtesy. Thank you for that. All right. That is everything. That's everything. Thank you to everyone that joins us. Thank you to Fidias for joining us as well.

And thank you to everyone. everyone that's watched us on, that was watching us on Odyssey, on Rock Finn, on Rumble, YouTube, and our locals community. Thank you so much. And thank you to our moderators, Spartan Warrior Queen, Zareel, Peter. Who else? Oh, earlier today, I saw Harry for the Jeffrey Sachs, I believe Harry and Valies were also helping to moderate. I forgot to give them a shout out. I think I got everybody that was helping to moderate for this live stream.

So thank you so much to everyone moderating. And from Commando Crossfire, France, Germany both tried a kind of EU. It didn't work. Yeah, they did. Quite true. Napoleon and the moustache in the man, the man with the tricorn hat and the one with the Charlie Chapman mustache. That's a good good work

Ursula Ursula will Exactly Ursula will succeed where they fail You can count on it Yeah All right

We will end it there Take care everybody Thank you