Ep. 5 - Politics Is Emotion Not Just Fact, with Catherine De Vries

Catherine De Vries is Vice Dean and Professor of Political Science at IE University, where she specialises in far-right politics, populism, and European public opinion.

De Vries brings a scholar's rigour and a rare gift for connecting theory to everyday life. The far right succeeds not by solving problems, but by being seen to take them seriously. Politics, she argues, is not only about facts — it is about emotion. If liberal democracy fails to recognise this, it will keep losing ground to forces that offer recognition over solutions.

The conversation moves from the Netherlands — a country at the heart of the European Union — to the broader crisis of European legitimacy. De Vries argues that the EU has the potential to navigate the current international chaos, but only if it learns to reconnect with the citizens it has lost.

In this episode:

- The Dutch case and a very personal story

- Why the far right wins

- Immigration as a false problem

- How the EU can survive in a hostile environment

With reason, not rage.

Timestamps

00:00 Introduction

01:32 Budapest is everywhere — even in small cities

03:00 A personal story of resistance and anger

05:22 JD Vance sees the symptoms, not the cause

07:45 How the far right rose in the Netherlands

11:30 The state is not delivering for people — and it's not just about money

16:00 Is immigration really a far-right issue?

22:00 Politics is emotion, not just fact

24:00 What is the perception of the EU right now?

29:00 What effective sovereignty for member states means

32:35 How Europe can survive Euroscepticism

35:00 Donald Trump is hostile to the EU — and he is not the only one

42:30 The Green Deal's real impact

44:20 Healthy political debate can save democracy

Author and host: Ivan Scalfarotto

Editor and social media: Ludovica Taurisano

Graphic designer: Paola De Bartolo

Visual identity: Martina Santurri

Sound designer: Enrico Cabua