We're crowdsourcing: Who is Europe’s answer to Zohran Mamdani?

[pepijn@mastodon.online]

Ah. I only now realise I replied to the question as if it was about national politics instead of European politics.

Agreed. On a European level I don't see someone with this large a personality and openness be allowed to go far.

@jon @europeanspodcast

[partijvoordedieren@mastodon.nl]

@iwein @europeanspodcast @estherouwehand cc @PartijvoordeDieren@mastodon.social

[a_denie@toot.io]

@europeanspodcast not in my country, but I hear good things about (and from) Zach Polanski?

[sanityinc@hachyderm.io]

@A_denie @europeanspodcast yes, Zack is great

[sorenhave@mastodon.nu]

@Pepijn @jon @europeanspodcast Perhaps Alexander Stubb?

[jon@gruene.social]

@sorenhave Yes. Stubb is fascinating. He's an interesting insider-outsider, and has never lost his ability to challenge things. @Pepijn @europeanspodcast

[tshirtman@mas.to]

@jon @sorenhave @Pepijn @europeanspodcast Not nearly as visible and of course not 1:1 the same, but I can think of Yanis Varoufakis, as a comparable character.

[jon@gruene.social]

@tshirtman Somewhat, although his ability to deliver burned out very fast. But he did at least get - briefly! - to the top! @sorenhave @Pepijn @europeanspodcast

[bytesalat@norden.social]

@europeanspodcast
edit: Wait.. Were you explicitly asking for MEPs from the respective countries or politicians in general?

German politician Heidi Reichinnek from Die Linke ("The Left") springs to my mind.
https://heidi-reichinnek.de/

Her social media activity and empassioned speech against far-right encroachment have ensured that her party not only remained in the German parliament during the last election, but also almost doubled their share (5% ️ 9%) when everybody expected them to lose.

[europeanspodcast@mastodon.social]

@bytesalat Politicians in general - can by MEPs but actually was thinking more on the national level.

[europeanspodcast@mastodon.social]

@jon @sorenhave @Pepijn Stubb is also a former guest on the Europeans podcast- a left-field Mamdani-style media appearance

[jon@gruene.social]

@europeanspodcast @sorenhave @Pepijn This conversation reminds me of when I used to run digital communications training for politicians, and a guy from the Greek PASOK party asked me "but why do we not have an Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in our party?" and I had to curtly tell him that such a person would not get anywhere in such a party!

[europeanspodcast@mastodon.social]

@jon @sorenhave @Pepijn I think it has something to do with the proportional representation voting systems in so much of the continent that create such a huge spread of parties. The UK is the most obvious country where AOC/Mamdani/Sanders-esque candidates have emerged, and I think that's partly because of FPTP.

[jon@gruene.social]

@europeanspodcast @sorenhave @Pepijn But it *ought* to be possible in countries with mixed systems that are part constituency. And the UK has parties that drain the life from people really badly as well (I knew Chuka Umunna since he was 21, and what happened to him as a person was grim)

[a_denie@toot.io]

@sanityinc @europeanspodcast oh man, this turned out to be a well-timed toot

[sanityinc@hachyderm.io]

@A_denie @europeanspodcast Oh! Yes!

[m4lvin@goto.fiets.pizza]

@europeanspodcast For Germany you might want Heidi Reichinnek

[meuwese@mastodon.social]

@europeanspodcast great question! @LisaWesterveld and @barbarakathmann come to mind. They are also active here, and both really know how to make effective social media posts.

[kupfers@mastodon.social]

@europeanspodcast Heidi Reichinnek

[liaizon@social.wake.st]

@europeanspodcast Ferat Koçak of Berlin