So let me now introduce our guests for this program.

This is going to be a very interesting program,

a program discussing lots of matters about international affairs,

democracy, the state of our world.

Can I first of all introduce Thierry Baudet,

a member of the Dutch parliament, leader of the Forum for Democracy, a political party in the Netherlands,

but also an international grouping of people concerned about the state of democracy.

And can I also introduce John Laughland, who is the director, as I understand it.

And both John and Thierry have made a particular political stand defending democracy,

defending the values of democracy and freedom and liberty, which used to be core values in the West,

values that people fought for, that were established,

and which are being eroded away.

And when I say they've been eroded away,

we've had an extraordinary period that we have just been through,

in which the whole of Europe, the whole of the West,

much of the rest of the world also was in lockdown. People were placed in effective detention,

often in their own homes, unable to conduct their businesses, unable to live their lives, and severely criticized and subjected to legal action if they protested or spoke out against what was done to them.

And this is all related to a pandemic. Of course, we've had many pandemics in the past.

Nothing like this has ever happened in the modern world before, but it did happen on this occasion.

And it happened internationally, and it also took place nationally.

It was also enforced by national governments,

all without exception, with great rigor.

...