Something I never thought I'd say a decade ago but similar to his American show before this seems to connect well with all different side and not be afraid of getting stuck into anything and trying to take in different point of views whilst also standing up when things are clearly wrong. An interesting insight made more entertaining by Ed himself both politically and comedic ally with some of the bizarre stuff they get him doing between the serious conversations. Thoroughly enjoyable and far more likeable than any politician truly should be.
2 Reviews
Ed Balls's reasonably effective uncovering of some of the reasons for Euro-populism
jrarichards28 March 2020
Warning: Spoilers
Watching a programme such as this in "pandemic world" offers a strange mix of impressions. On the one hand, the somewhat apocalyptic circumstances in which we live currently seem to chime in rather well with the world of just a few months ago, in which inequality, poverty, environmental risk and populism were all rife, and we were even then feeling that "something has to change". On the other hand, we paradoxically find an entirely contradictory feeling that everything from before is now rendered academic and out of date!
Possibly neither impression is accurate, as it may well be that we shall come through the present problems and neither completely forget about what went before (or see it in isolation), nor yet - by any means - return to the situation that was present.
Anyway, having done the reasonably interesting and at times concerning "Travels in Trumpland" in 2018, Ed Balls now turns his attention to (the same kind of) populism as it manifests itself in Europe. The two series look comparable and complementary, yet I'm not sure if we can say the Euro-version is better. For me at least, however, this is more my world, while America looks slightly more exotic.
As someone who never has voted Labour, and probably never would, I am intrigued about the extent to which that makes me take Ed (a lowish Minister under Gordon Brown and since then Shadow this and that) with a pinch of salt. The happy answer is 'zero', and indeed on balance I can say I like Ed, and the way he operates, even if the Spanish (flamenco dancing!) fragment left me a tad annoyed by the sight of Balls's not-invisible abdomen. A criticism too close to home, since I had one, though the lockdown is exerting its - in this sense beneficial - influence. Just a further difference between then and now...
Anyway, Ed comes over as a Brit presenting and interpreting for other Brits, and it seems he might be a worthy enough representative of the rest of us in so doing. So nationality matters more than politics - a worthwhile finding I would say. Ed is also a European (in several senses), and his contacts here are a little more edgy (a little less academic) than the ones in the USA. Nevertheless, he continues with his policy of meeting and greeting - and accepting hospitality from - people whose politics and beliefs he has doubts about, at best allowing himself a measure of more-probing questioning, as well as more open summary critiques once he has said his goodbyes. This may not be an entirely honourable - or even a very deep-digging one, but it has its merits for the learning experience, and it keeps people talking; and we do in fact learn a reasonable amount about the Wilders PVV party in The Netherlands, VOX in Spain, Law and Justice in Poland, the AfD in Germany (perhaps a somewhat different category, actually), and so on.
Do we need to know what Ed is able to offer us in a somewhat sweetened pill? Definitely yes!
Is it all academic now that the age of the virus is upon us? It might be, but the jury is definitely out on that one, and may be so for some time...
Possibly neither impression is accurate, as it may well be that we shall come through the present problems and neither completely forget about what went before (or see it in isolation), nor yet - by any means - return to the situation that was present.
Anyway, having done the reasonably interesting and at times concerning "Travels in Trumpland" in 2018, Ed Balls now turns his attention to (the same kind of) populism as it manifests itself in Europe. The two series look comparable and complementary, yet I'm not sure if we can say the Euro-version is better. For me at least, however, this is more my world, while America looks slightly more exotic.
As someone who never has voted Labour, and probably never would, I am intrigued about the extent to which that makes me take Ed (a lowish Minister under Gordon Brown and since then Shadow this and that) with a pinch of salt. The happy answer is 'zero', and indeed on balance I can say I like Ed, and the way he operates, even if the Spanish (flamenco dancing!) fragment left me a tad annoyed by the sight of Balls's not-invisible abdomen. A criticism too close to home, since I had one, though the lockdown is exerting its - in this sense beneficial - influence. Just a further difference between then and now...
Anyway, Ed comes over as a Brit presenting and interpreting for other Brits, and it seems he might be a worthy enough representative of the rest of us in so doing. So nationality matters more than politics - a worthwhile finding I would say. Ed is also a European (in several senses), and his contacts here are a little more edgy (a little less academic) than the ones in the USA. Nevertheless, he continues with his policy of meeting and greeting - and accepting hospitality from - people whose politics and beliefs he has doubts about, at best allowing himself a measure of more-probing questioning, as well as more open summary critiques once he has said his goodbyes. This may not be an entirely honourable - or even a very deep-digging one, but it has its merits for the learning experience, and it keeps people talking; and we do in fact learn a reasonable amount about the Wilders PVV party in The Netherlands, VOX in Spain, Law and Justice in Poland, the AfD in Germany (perhaps a somewhat different category, actually), and so on.
Do we need to know what Ed is able to offer us in a somewhat sweetened pill? Definitely yes!
Is it all academic now that the age of the virus is upon us? It might be, but the jury is definitely out on that one, and may be so for some time...
See also
Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews
