Following on from the success of Travels in Trumpland, Ed Balls heads to Europe to discover why so many people are rejecting mainstream politics. He immerses himself in the lives of ordinary voters to find out what is behind this populist revolution and the potential consequences for Europe’s future.

In this second episode, Ed spends time in both Poland and Germany, exploring the rise of an anti-elite sentiment that has spearheaded a new type of politician to power.

Ed begins his trip in Leczna, eastern Poland, home to the country’s deep coal mines. After the EU ordered the mass closures of unprofitable coal mines across Europe, the populist Law and Justice Party has established a stronghold in the region, promising to stand up for the miners’ jobs against Brussels. Ed meets Josef, who has worked in the mines for over 15 years, and is shown the exhausting reality of working an eight-hour shift over 1km underground. He also meets Josef’s family, who tell him about the importance of the mine to the local region, before being roped into performing an unlikely role at the town’s football match.

Crossing the border to neighbouring Germany, Ed heads to the village of Dorfchemnitz. In the national elections of 2017, the village returned the highest vote in the country for the controversial, far-right Alternative for Germany party, and have now been dubbed the ‘Nazi village’. As the former MP for a constituency that had the highest BNP membership in the UK, Ed is keen to get behind the headlines to find out what is really going on. He meets with local woodcutter Rico, who tells Ed that the villagers felt ignored by the mainstream politicians in Berlin.

Ed’s time in Germany also sees him visit Bremen, a city that has felt the impact of Merkel’s controversial policy to take on more refugees during the migrant crisis than any other country in Europe. Even in this most diverse of cities, the Alternative for Germany party is picking up votes – and Ed wants to know why. He meets with local cab driver Karsten, who feels threatened by the rise of refugee violence in the city – and has a surprising story to share. Ed also meets Frank Magnitz, the local AfD representative who believes his party are the only ones who are standing up for the people on the ground – but Ed is shocked to discover the propaganda he is using to promote his message.

Ed’s journey comes to an end back in Poland. Here, he visits a gun training camp, marketed as a place where ordinary citizens can learn how to defend themselves in the event of a terrorist attack. The camp is run by former French citizen Gregory LeRoy, who believes the mainstream politicians aren’t doing enough to protect their citizens from the risk of terrorists. Ed meets the men who have signed up to the training camp – and finds that some have more reason than most to feel under threat. But as the episode comes to a close, Ed considers whether the anti-elitist, anti-Islam rhetoric of the populist politicians is encouraging more people to take up arms.
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