Travels in Euroland With Ed Balls

Episode
Episode 1
Broadcast Info
2020 (58 mins)
Description
Following on from the success of Travels In Trumpland, this warm and entertaining series sees Ed Balls head out to Europe to discover how the divisions exposed by Brexit are reflected in the rest of the EU. Immersing himself in the lives of ordinary voters, Ed spends time in both Holland and Spain, exploring the role that national identity and pride have had to play in fuelling the rise of right-wing populism across the continent. The first leg of Ed’s journey takes him to Holland - and the fishing towns of Den Helder and Scheveningen. Here he meets with Dirk and Willem, both of whom have worked in the fishing industry for over thirty years. Dirk takes Ed out for a day of trawler fishing and explains the importance of the fishing industry to the Netherlands’ national identity. He tells Ed that the EU’s rules and regulations have made the job harder - and Dirk’s crew explain why they’re now voting for Thierry Baudet, the new populist politician who’s been scooping up votes in the country. In Scheveningen, Ed meets Willem, who shows him round the local fish factory. Willem tells Ed that he believes in a vision for Dutch politics which puts ‘Netherlands First’ and restores pride to the people of Holland. With Willem’s words ringing in his ears, Ed journeys north in the country, to Ede, to meet with Harold Veerwoert. Harold is a ‘Black Pete’ actor and entertainer - and finds himself at the centre of a culture war. The tradition of Black Pete involves the Dutch daubing themselves in black paint to portray the helpers of a Santa Claus-like figure called Sinterklaas - and some consider it to be akin to blackface. In recent years, campaigners have called for it banned. Now, Harold has turned to voting for Geert Wilders, one of the most controversial far-right politicians on the continent. Wilders has spoken out in favour of the tradition - claiming that the right to freedom of speech is what makes Holland one of the great nations of the world. Ed joins Harold on a movie set to find out what the other Black Pete actors think. The second leg of Ed’s journey takes him to Spain where, unlike Holland, far-right populism is relatively new. In Andalucia, the Vox Party recently won seats in the local parliament, riding on a ticket which promised to defend Spanish culture and tradition from outsiders. The party are the first far-right party to enter parliament in Spain since the days of Franco and claim that liberal politics are ‘un-Spanish.' They’ve written into their manifesto a promise to stand up for the controversial practice of bullfighting - and Ed meets with local bullfighting aficionados, the Marquez family, to find out why. Ed wants to know if Vox have co-opted the fans of the sport and joins Blas and Sandra at a bullfight attended by over 2000 spectators. Ed then travels over the Mediterranean Sea to the tip of Morocco, where the Spanish enclave of Melilla lies. Melilla has become the latest gateway for migrants trying to come into Europe - and Ed spends a shift with the local police, the Guardia Civil, whose responsibility it is to stop migrants jumping over the 11ft fence which separates Africa and Europe. With populist politicians increasingly claiming that national identity is threatened by the numbers of migrants that are coming to Europe, Ed wants to know the reality of the situation.
Genre
Economics; History; Culture; Social Science

How to cite this record

The Open University, "Travels in Euroland With Ed Balls". https://learningonscreen.ac.uk/ou/search/index.php/prog/234733 (Accessed 10 Jan 2025)