In this episode, Ed travels in Spain and Holland to explore the role that national identity and pride have played in fuelling the rise of populism. The first leg of his journey takes him to Holland and the fishing towns of Den Helder and Scheveningen. Here he meets two fishermen, Dirk and Willem. Dirk takes Ed out for a day of trawler fishing. In the Netherlands, the fishing industry is important to the country’s national identity. Ed hears how the impact of EU law around fishing practices is affecting their livelihoods and why it has driven Dirk and his crew to vote for a politician who has promised to stand up to Brussels.
In Scheveningen, Willem shows Ed around the local fish factory and invites him to join his daily ritual - a bracing dip in the chilly North Sea. 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 to Ede, where he meets with Harold, a Black Pete actor and entertainer who has found himself in the midst of a culture war. The tradition of Black Pete involves the Dutch daubing themselves in black paint to portray the helper of a Santa Claus-like figure called Sinterklaas. Despite finding what he sees uncomfortable, Ed attempts to learn more about this custom, which has come under fire for being akin to blackface. In recent years, campaigners have called for it to be banned, while populist politicians have supported it.
The second leg of Ed’s journey takes him to Spain where, unlike Holland, populism is relatively new. In Andalucia, the Vox Party- the first far-right party since the days of Franco to win seats in the parliament - has pledged to stand up for the controversial practice of bullfighting. Ed spends time with a famed local matador and his family to try to understand why.
Finally, Ed travels over the Mediterranean Sea to the tip of Morocco, to visit the Spanish enclave of Melilla, for a
