The Shit List 2024
The sneaky, the snobbish and the snide. The spiteful, the shameless and the downright sinister. They are all shits – and all here in the New European’s annual rundown of 50 people the UK could definitely do without
Putin is about to inflict a refugee crisis on Europe. Here’s how to stop it
Giving frozen Russian assets to Ukraine would save Zelensky and send a defiant message to Trump
How Trump won the pop culture wars
The president-elect’s embrace of comedians, podcasters and combat sports stars is a lesson for hectoring liberals
The rise of the ‘fuck you’ party
Across the world, a new coalition is growing – of exhausted people on all sides who are gunning for Scholz, Macron… and Starmer
The return of Merkelmania
The former German chancellor has played it smart again by shrouding her memoirs in secrecy ahead of their release
The scandalous success of Mina Mazzini
The flawed star who floored a nation
Latest audio articles
The day John Prescott gave a speech to the sea
In paying their tributes, many people are still underestimating the former deputy prime minister
James Beattie and his timeless cello
The forgotten Scottish philosopher’s legacy resurfaced last week when his historic cello was played for the first time in 220 years
The word I want to get into the dictionary
The ‘trollification’ that happens on X, Elon Musk’s online hellhole, deserves a definition
How to believe in politics
It is time to dispel disbelief and face the grim reality that is unfolding
Biden’s wake-up call to Europe
The Ukraine missile strikes he has permitted won’t change the war – but they must change minds in the EU and UK
Our shameful media, trolling for Trump
The British press featured some bizarre coverage of the US election this week, even by its own standards
The next two months will define Starmer
Donald Trump’s election has called into question the Euro-Atlanticism elements of Labour foreign policy
Ayn Rand’s part in Donald Trump’s victory
If Trump sees himself as a Randian hero, expect nothing but indifferent self-interest for the next four years
Kemi Badenoch is mediocrity on steroids
Badenoch, for all her anti-woke diatribes, is the wrong kind of Tory rightist. She will lead them defeat, and quite possibly eclipse by Reform
Everyday Philosophy: The Peter Singer chatbot
The philosoper’s ethical legacy lives on in the form of a bot – but its hectoring, evangelical tone means it is far from convincing
Most popular
Sudoku Hard
Sudoku Medium
Sudoku Easy
Number Fit
Jigsaw
Cryptic Crossword
Crossword
Codeword
Starmer is kidding himself about the special relationship
If Musk wants to give Farage £100m, let him
Ireland’s shaky stability
Prepare for the Trump-Fico bromance
Can the European car industry survive?
The assisted dying debate adds to Starmer’s woes
The Louise Haigh affair is a cock-up by Team Starmer
The net migration figures show how Brexit has failed
Something fishy about Richard Tice’s latest claim
Reform’s deputy leader declared only his party would protect British fishing – yet when the Commons debated it, he was nowhere to be seen
Nigel and the Nazis
Farage is launching a new magazine – but who’s allowed to write for it, and who isn’t?
Ignore the old men, Observer hacks told
Outrageous sexism and ageism abounds in media news this week. And for once it’s not Gregg Wallace
Writers
Alastair Campbell
The day John Prescott gave a speech to the sea
Marie Le Conte
Badenoch’s dangerous lurch into the online swamp
Matthew d’Ancona
All We Imagine as Light is one of the best films of the year
Patience Wheatcroft
Putin is about to inflict a refugee crisis on Europe. Here’s how to stop it
Tanit Koch
The return of Merkelmania
Paul Mason
UK soft power failed with Putin – it’s time for the hard option
Latest
Starmer is kidding himself about the special relationship
Something fishy about Richard Tice’s latest claim
France, state of delusion
The one big problem with Meet The Rees-Moggs
The new Brexit time bomb
If Musk wants to give Farage £100m, let him
Podcasts
The Two Matts
Today’s wall of shame – Joe Biden and Gregg Wallace
The Two Matts
Q&A: Petitions, Labour bashing and what’s up with Kamala?
The Two Matts
Migration madness and reaction to our Sh*t List
The Two Matts
The alarming rise of the far right in Europe
The Two Matts
Q&A: A referendum on referendums?
The Two Matts
The second most dangerous man in the world
The new Brexit time bomb
A refresh of EU product safety standards, GPSR, will be a disaster for the UK’s small exporters, with the government little help
Can the European car industry survive?
It’s being outdone by China and has failed to transition to electric vehicles. Can the big manufacturers on the continent go into overdrive? Or are they heading for a crash?
The net migration figures show how Brexit has failed
Boris Johnson and Nigel Farage won a referendum on the lie that leaving the EU would control immigration
Inside Norway’s Brexits
The country has twice rejected the chance to join the EU, including in a referendum 30 years ago this week with a 52:48 split. Why did they say no? And how’s it working out for them?
Is being our EU negotiator the worst job in Britain?
While Keir Starmer continues to pretend that a worthwhile deal can be done without concessions or going back to the single market, this role is a non-starter
The Shit List 2024
The sneaky, the snobbish and the snide. The spiteful, the shameless and the downright sinister. They are all shits – and all here in the New European’s annual rundown of 50 people the UK could definitely do without
The New Europe
France, state of delusion
Ridiculous borrowing, impossible promises and an unwillingness to face reality have led to budget deadlock and talk of a Greek-style financial crisis
Romania’s election chaos
Călin Georgescu is a textbook post-truth politician: a conspiracy theorist, anti-vaxxer, climate change denier, and moon landing sceptic
Inside Norway’s Brexits
The country has twice rejected the chance to join the EU, including in a referendum 30 years ago this week with a 52:48 split. Why did they say no? And how’s it working out for them?
Writing to Putin’s gulag
Following a rise in politically motivated sentences after Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, prisoners in Russia and Belarus have come to rely on letters from strangers
UK soft power failed with Putin – it’s time for the hard option
Britain and Europe are up against an alliance of evil. Now is the time to resist Russia, and for the UK to lead by example
Writing to Putin’s gulag
Following a rise in politically motivated sentences after Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, prisoners in Russia and Belarus have come to rely on letters from strangers
Putin is about to inflict a refugee crisis on Europe. Here’s how to stop it
Giving frozen Russian assets to Ukraine would save Zelensky and send a defiant message to Trump
Biden’s wake-up call to Europe
The Ukraine missile strikes he has permitted won’t change the war – but they must change minds in the EU and UK
The next two months will define Starmer
Donald Trump’s election has called into question the Euro-Atlanticism elements of Labour foreign policy
Will Trump surrender to Putin?
And if he does give in to the Russian president, what will the consequences be for Ukraine and for Europe?
Darkness on the edge of town
Two stunning exhibitions at the Helmut Newton Foundation celebrate the great photographer and the city he escaped from
Civilisation in the sand
A new museum in Giza reminds us of Europe’s deepest origins
When doves cry
Only a humbug could resist John Simm’s Scrooge
All We Imagine as Light is one of the best films of the year
Words that were borrowed but never returned
What people don’t understand about the farming debate
Why I’m conflicted about the implosion of Twitter
The needle through which Europe was threaded
The actress pursued by misfortune and tragedy
The bohemian travel writer always drawn back home
The man who was born twice
The artist who embraced human imperfections
