British Politics

With so many reasons to abandon Brexit, writes MITCH BENN, Remain is winning the battle by a significant margin. There are literally hundreds of compelling reasons to abandon Brexit, and precisely one reason to go ahead with it. Every week that passes provides us with another couple of dozen entries for the ‘really very good […]

The Queen has attempted to rejoin the current political extremes over Brexit by pleading for a (presumably) centrist common ground on the issue. As a staunch Remainer, this for me will be impossible unless and until we have a second referendum. The first one was based on lies, alternative facts, deceit, project fear, financial irregularities […]

MITCH BENN discusses why links between Brexit and how it compares to past wars Britain have been involved in should not be made. I’ve long thought that there should be some sort of ‘swear box’ system in operation in political journalism, except with interviewees being required to cough up for clichés rather than profanities. I […]

MITCH BENN discusses the problems with a no deal Brexit and what the works no deal have become. Almost immediately after the spectacular failure of the prime minister’s Withdrawal Agreement last week, the question was asked throughout the land: ‘Okay, so now what?’ And this question was answered by everyone: ‘Literally nobody knows.’ However, one […]

Readers welcome the scrapping of charges for EU citizens and have thoughts on ideas for Theresa May’s Plan B. The announcement of the scrapping of the charge for application for settled status of EU citizens is to be welcomed. The government should go one step further and grant to these same citizens the right to […]

As the vote on Theresa May’s Plan A replica approaches, with the Irish backstop still the critical obstacle, many will find it inexplicable that the party propping her up, the Democratic Unionists, are virtually the sole representative voice in Westminster for Northern Ireland where 56% voted Remain in 2016. Meanwhile the party representing the majority […]

Cowardice and appeasement in the face of thuggery is always deplorable but there’s a specific reason it’s a bad idea in this instance, says MITCH BENN SKZ cartoons – Credit: Archant In a previous column I dealt with the concept of ‘privilege’, in as much the word is used with regard to the concept of […]

Mitch Benn provides a handy guide on how to tackle the most common arguments supporting Brexit. Last week, you may remember, I promised to enumerate some of the most frequently trotted-out arguments in favour of Brexit and against a final deal vote, along with some handy responses, should you wish to, in rhetorical terms, ‘take […]

Readers of The New European give their verdict on Channel 4’s Brexit film. Forgive me if I don’t join the chorus of approval for Brexit: The Uncivil War. As well as lying about the £350 million and Turkey, Vote Leave broke electoral rules and have been referred to the police by the Electoral Commission. They […]

Mitch Benn on why the real 2019 is going to be weirder than sci-fi’s vision of the future My favourite movie is Blade Runner. Specifically the original 1982 theatrical cut. That’s the one I saw when it came out, that’s the version which was the first (and for a while only) movie I owned on […]

A People’s Vote – or a second referendum – is the opportunity to give Britons that second chance to stop and think, writes BOB HALE. How many times have we heard someone say ‘in hindsight I would not have said that or in hindsight not done this’? Those of us supporting a People’s Vote are […]

A grouchy MITCH BENN stays up late hatching a plot to finally put an end to Brexit. Every Leaver in Britain loved Brexit a lot… But the Gritch, who lived just outside London, Did NOT! The Gritch hated Brexit! The whole Brexitshambles! So he sat in his shed and he grumbled and rambled. It could […]

Suffering from Brexit burnout? MITCH BENN takes solace in the world of Doctor Who If, like me, you’re suffering from Brexit Burnout or just so bewildered by the rapidity and randomness of current events, you might find it quite therapeutic to give your aching grey cells a bit of a rest. With that in mind, […]

MITCH BENN discusses how closely politics and Christmas should be linked. I come to report a disturbing development; in previous years (yes, this is now the third December in which I’ve been writing this column – doesn’t time fly when you’re mired in existential despair) I’ve noted that one bit of reactionary idiocy we’ve thus […]

Following a call from Exmouth, comedian Mitch Benn writes a rock parody song to offer an olive branch of understanding and cooperation to all the regretful Leave voters. I’m typing this while waiting for a video clip to ‘render’ (ie. be saved in a usable form); it’s taking a while, as my wheezy old laptop […]

For those who didn’t get a say in the original EU referendum they are hoping that there will be a People’s Vote so their voices can finally be heard. I am 20 years old and currently taking a second gap year to focus on the campaign I started to provide a youth voice on Brexit: […]

Let’s not forget, peace in Europe is not a natural state. We have to fight for it, says MITCH BENN I don’t know if you’ve seen any of the archive footage of the First World War trenches ‘restored’ by filmmaker Peter Jackson for his new documentary They Shall Not Grow Old. I put quotes around […]

Politics of hate will fall and the politics of hope will endure, writes MITCH BENN. It’s been another one of those weeks in which clinging to the positive – indeed just finding the positive – has seemed like a Herculean labour. And don’t come to me expecting zingers about the (thankfully ineptly-executed) mail bomb campaign […]

The People’s Vote March for the Future proves resistance is working, argues Mitch Benn. Well, that was a thing. I took part in the People’s Vote March for the Future in London on Saturday and, a quick mental number-crunch confirms, there’s a reasonable statistical probability that you did too. I’ve seen the jaw-dropping aerial shots […]

Why are our institutions and public servants being stopped from doing their jobs, asks a New European reader. The Met Police are stalling on an investigation of the Leave campaigns which broke electoral law because it is too ‘politically sensitive’. The head of HM Revenue and Customs has received death threats after setting out the […]

MITCH BENN has a simple message for all of those considering marching on Saturday – get on the bus and turn up! It can be tricky sometimes, when trying to spur one’s contemporaries into action (which appears to be pretty much my full-time job these days) to strike the proper balance between urgency and despair. […]

Tim Walker talks to the former attorney general who is now eloquently making the case for a People’s Vote. If Boris Johnson were to finally succeed Theresa May as prime minister, and – in the interests of unifying the Conservative Party – he decided to offer Dominic Grieve a place in his cabinet, the answer […]

Writer, comedian and musician MITCH BENN issues a rallying call for readers to join the People’s Vote March in London. It’s getting more difficult, isn’t it? With every day that passes it’s getting harder not to just switch off the news, log off the internet, go about our daily business and pretend that none of […]

EXCLUSIVE: TIM WALKER on a bid to break the Westminster impasse and force a People’s Vote The Lib Dem leader Sir Vince Cable is challenging Nicola Sturgeon to join the fight in Parliament for a People’s Vote. ‘We need the SNP’s MPs to vote with us to secure this victory, as the Parliamentary arithmetic is […]

You don’t obstruct an investigation which you will believe will clear your name, says MITCH BENN Matt Damon on Saturday Night Live as Brett Kavanaugh. PHOTO: Fox News – Credit: Archant I’ve just finished watching the ‘cold open’ to the last edition of Saturday Night Live. The ‘cold open’ is a pre-opening credits sketch which, […]

We’re winning this, writes MITCH BENN, and Brexit will ultimately meet its Waterloo. This year’s Labour conference was, you’ll note, in Liverpool, my birthplace and boyhood home; this is slightly ironic for reasons which will become apparent in a few paragraphs’ time. There was a very well attended pro-People’s Vote march there on Sunday. As […]

Readers react to the latest announcement from Jacob Rees-Mogg and the ERG. May it comfort readers to be reminded that a ERG is an obsolete unit of work in the metric system? An ERG of work is done when a force of one dyne moves its point of application through one centimetre. It is a […]

Mitch Benn on the danger of creeping optimism and the power of Scotland. Something dangerous is creeping into our movement. Optimism. Now don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing wrong with optimism. But like anything else that makes you feel good, you have to take it easy with optimism. A little bit will put a spring […]