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There was a general feeling that the political system of the EU, and the world really, wasn't suitable for dealing with problems of the 21st century. Much of the population felt devoid of agency, and rightly so. It felt as if politics was stuck.

I mean people were literally still investing in fossil fuels? Really sketchy political groups were becoming popular? Sometimes, the future seemed spooky at the time.

This all shifted in the latter half of the decade.