Episode 11 - The Rising Right: Poland, Power, and the Populist Wave

On 2nd of June Poland elected Karol Nawrock, an ultraconservative outsider from the nationalist Law and Justice (PiS) part, as president, delivering a sharp blow to the ruling liberal government. His victory echoes a rising tide of right-wing populism across Europe, one openly backed by Donald Trump’s MAGA movement in the U.S.

In this episode, veteran journalist Gavin O’Toole unpacks the implications of Nawrocki’s win: for Poland’s future in the EU, for embattled democracies across the continent, and for the expanding network of far-right forces now stretching from Washington to Warsaw, Budapest to Buenos Aires.

Why are nationalist-populist leaders gaining ground? What do they share—and what divides them? Is this the start of a lasting realignment, or the peak of a populist wave?

Join us as we explore the forces reshaping Europe’s political order—and the fragile future of liberal democracy itself.

🎙 Hosted by Gavin O’Toole 📍 Focus: Poland’s 2025 presidential election and the global rise of the far right 🌍 Featuring analysis of political shifts across Europe, MAGA’s global footprint, and the populist challenge to the liberal order.