News and Opinion

He is a friend and neighbour of Jeremy Corbyn. But here, David Lammy tells his leader why his Brexit policy will spell doom for Labour and the country This week, and certainly not for the first time in recent months, I have felt like an outcast in my own party and even, if you believe […]

Media mogul Rupert Murdoch should be able to control Sky now that digital players – Amazon Prime, Facebook, Netflix and Hulu – have changed the media landscape ‘The thing about Rupert is that he polarises opinion, you either deify him or demonise him’ – So advised a veteran boardroom confidant of Rupert Murdoch some years […]

‘Elite’ has become the ultimate political insult, but just look who is throwing it around. Is real scrutiny of the powerful being lost in the noise? There was a time when the word ‘elite’ was used descriptively – and often positively – to designate a cadre of highly specialised, distinguished individuals. That time has well […]

Elite is a dirty word in a Brexit Britain – we take a look at the establishment credentials of powerful figures in politics and media to see how they compare 1. Michael Gove Power to the people: ‘Unelected, unaccountable elites, it’s time to say ‘you’re fired’… It’s the invincible arrogance of Europe’s elites that gets […]

English has been quietly conquering the German language since the end of the Second World War, with sometimes baffling consequences No other language – apart from Latin maybe – has had such a profound effect on Germany’s people, business and culture, as English. It is omnipresent: in schools, homes, workplaces, government institutions and, for a […]

‘Disaster’ is looming for Britain’s universities if the Government push ahead with a Hard Brexit, academics have warned. Already applications from the European Union have tumbled by 14% at Cambridge University for undergraduate courses, the Education Select Committee was told. Hostility towards immigrants, devaluation of the pound and uncertainty over research projects have also deterred […]

The Government is set to lose the legal case on Brexit, according to sources Cabinet ministers have privately accepted that they will lose the supreme court case and are working on several versions of a new bill that would be needed in order to trigger Article 50. The Guardian has reported that the Government believes […]

Why did the EU referendum happen and how could it be overturned? Brexit is not a done deal and this is how we can fight it (Photo by Jay Shaw Baker/NurPhoto via Getty Images) – Credit: NurPhoto via Getty Images The beginning of a new year is a useful moment to review the fight against […]

The departure of Sir Ivan Rogers raises fundamental questions about the government’s Brexit strategy Exiting the EU is as complex a process for the UK government and its civil service as any faced since the Second World War – and that includes the process that got us into the common market in the first place. […]

The Brexiteers’ claim that we would be £350m a week better off outside the EU has been widely ridiculed – but it worked and they are at it again Post-Brexit Britain? – Credit: Archant After it worked so well last time, you cannot blame them for trying it again. The Leavers’ claim during last year’s […]

Take The New European’s step-by-step guide to see whether you could be one of the leaders of this people’s army Are you a member of the #liberal elite or a leader of the People’s army? There’s only one way to find out – take our quiz… – Credit: Archant A rabble-rousing popular movement and their […]

A series of Michelin-starred European chefs explore how the referendum vote has put Britain’s booming restaurant sector at risk Choose a restaurant at random in any UK city and it’s likely somebody in the kitchen, or somebody taking your order, will be from outside the UK; 28 per cent of our country’s staff in the […]

Warning: this list of snacks, street food and traditional Croatian dishes will ruin any healthy diet you’re attempting (Vige/Flickr/CC BY 2.0) – Credit: Archant 1. Cokolino What is it and why is it awesome? This instant cereal is full of chocolatey goodness – sure it looks like it’s just Croatian baby food, but this oat-based […]

It is the latest self-help craze, but being stoical isn’t as easy as it sounds Self-help books are hot right now. If you’ve a how? there’s a how-to book for you. Theresa May is a sport. She’s thinking about writing How to Brexit. A few people, it is said, are working on the sequel, How […]

The unfailing brilliance of some of Europe’s greatest ever exports: cinematic villains, and villainesses Jeremy Irons in Die Hard With A Vengeance (1995) – Credit: Cover Images I blame Alan Rickman. The late British actor practically trademarked the sneering villain role back in the 1980s, first as Hans Gruber in Die Hard, then as the […]

European Commission expresses regret over shock departure of the EU Ambassador months before Brexit negotiations begin Brussels officials said the resignation of Sir Ivan Rogers meant the UK had lost a ‘professional’ diplomat who had always ‘loyally defended’ his Government. In an explosive resignation email, Sir Ivan hit out at the ‘ill-founded arguments and muddled […]

Innovation in the role of the night tsar is transforming the nightlife offered by European cities ‘I would go out tonight, but I haven’t got a stitch to wear.’ In a career defined by dramatic proclamations this line, taken from The Smiths’ ‘This Charming Man’, is arguably Morrissey’s most famous. It perfectly encapsulates the mentality […]

In a land of comfort food, Nutella is king – part of the choc-stained fabric of daily Italian life Next time you’re on Rome’s Via Condotti or Milan’s Via Montenapoleone, feeling totally inadequate as you find yourself surrounded by flawless Prada-clad locals, all chiselled cheekbones and cultivated airs of disdain, here’s a handy little tip. […]

From cannabis legalisation to festival drugs testing, European countries are shaping new, progressive drugs policies, and Britain risks being left behind A man injects himself with heroin in Platzspitz Park, Zurich, where drug addicts and dealers are tolerated, contained and controlled, circa 1990. The social experiment failed and Platzspitz was closed in 1992 – Credit: […]

Six Amsterdam coffee shops for a tea or a coffee and a smoke – or even a beer –accompanied by great atmosphere and tasty snacks (ALEXANDER KLEIN/AFP/Getty Images) – Credit: AFP/Getty Images 1. Barneys A classic coffee shop in an old building on Haarlemmerstraat, to the west of Centraal station. The food menu and friendly […]

In the age of cyber-hacking and fake news, main stream media must fight back against the post truth dark side As 2016 saw post-truth declared word of the year by Oxford Dictionaries, no less, then 2017 should be the year the mainstream media declares war on the forces that put it there. Post-truth gained pre-eminence […]

6 months after naming The New European as Britain’s Sore Loser Newspaper, what has changed for Vice UK writer Angus Harrison? Brexit, the problem-child nobody knows what to do with, is six months old. That means that in the time since the UK voted to leave the European Union, you could have severely broken and […]

The latest legal challenge to Article 50 – and whether it can later be revoked – is being launched at the Irish High Court. Our democracy needs the law now more than ever. We wait for the result of the Gina Miller case. The Supreme Court will tell us what must happen before we trigger […]

Vladimir Putin’s hand is not as strong as it looks, and there is plenty his opponents can do to counter him President Obama has vowed to retaliate against Russia for its interference in the US election. As the Kremlin’s next target, Europe must support Obama in this endeavour and continue to counter Russia after he […]

2016 will go down as a year of political shocks, the horror of Aleppo and England’s Euro 2016 football failure, but there were a few glimpses of hope. Month-by-month we look back on an eventful year January – Credit: Archant JANUARY The year starts badly in most directions. Severe weather still batters a flood-stricken northern […]

Enliven your Christmas dinner by cutting out our Brexit-themed jokes and inserting them in crackers for your Leave-supporting relatives Get ready to groan, with our Brexit Christmas cracker jokes – Credit: Archant Why was Nigel Farage’s Christmas lunch so crap? He banned brussels and there was no turkey despite Nigel insisting it would be admitted […]

Ok, we got Brexit, but at least Britain doesn’t have to put up with this ‘War on Christmas’ nonsense Merry Christmas.Yeah I said it. Merry Christmas. If Christmas is something you do, Merry Christmas, and if you do something else, Merry Whatever It Is You Do, and if you do nothing, be merry doing that. […]

As a tumultuous year draws to a close, the atmosphere in Europe has turned febrile once again. What does the Berlin terror attack tell us about the continent’s greatest power, and where it is heading? December 19, 2016 was not a good day for political stability. Hours after an off-duty policeman in Ankara, Turkey shot […]