News and Opinion

Of all the puny political excuses that reduce grown-up arguments to childish spats, ‘I blame the media’ is the most dispiriting. Witnessing Westminster’s warriors clinging to their favourite clapped-out cliché and shooting the messenger can be a life-sapping experience. As the bullets fly from all directions, it’s hard to keep up. Labour’s General Election soldiers […]

ISIS is failing and will soon be driven out of its heartlands. But those who wish to fight on will form new groups and pose new danger ISIS will soon be ejected from the Islamic state it established in Syria and Iraq. This impending victory will severely weaken this hateful organisation. But ISIS, its ideas […]

Prime Minister Theresa May has vowed that ‘violence must never be allowed to disrupt the democratic process’ in the wake of another devastating terror attack. Seven people were killed when a van was driven at pedestrians on London Bridge before three men went on a random stabbing spree in nearby Borough Market. Speaking outside Number […]

Watch as angry London taxi driver’s rant at ‘vulture capitalists’ shuts down the latest Tory soundbite Angry taxi driver Mark McGowan has been creating viral videos of political rants, filmed in his minicab, since 2010 – the ChunkyMark Youtube channel now boasts over 53,000 subscribers. ‘Theresa May’s Tory Magic Money Tree – Get Shut Down’ […]

We pick the most wrong and unstable Leavers of the week 10) Nick GriffinTraditionally a fan of refusing admission to extremists from foreign lands, the former BNP leader must be mightily conflicted over Hungary’s decision to deny him entry and residence visas. Griffin has been declared a ‘persona non grata’ by the interior ministry in […]

All the election news, reaction and analysis on June 3. .

Few family histories better underline the complex relationship between Britain and Germany than Christian Lawrence’s. Here he explains why his fellow countrymen are so sad to see the UK leave It is often said of the Germans that we start a conversation by talking about our ancestry. Well I am a German, living in Munich, […]

Her performance this week has been shocking. She’s made an absolute mockery of the absurd Strong And Stable mantra they’ve all been bleating and there’s more than a hint of alarm in her eyes when the Press start asking her questions. Rightly so. She has demonstrated a profound lack of substance – her credibility as […]

Get your weekly dose of politics as Steve Anglesey, Richard Porritt and Geri Scott dissect the Tory campaign and crown Brexiteer of the week The New European team are back with their weekly political podcast. Richard Porritt, Steve Anglesey and Geri Scott discuss the Conservative Party’s disastrous campaign, polls predicting a hung parliament and watching […]

Of one thing I’m sure – May is beatable It is one of the first rules of strategy – never underestimate your opponents. Go back as far as Sun Tzu, Chinese genius general of the 6th century. ‘He who exercises no forethought but makes light of his opponent is sure to be captured by them.’ […]

The shameful pact of silence between the Tories and Labour regarding the biggest issue facing the country Brexit, warned Theresa May this week, was ‘the one, fundamental, defining issue’ that voters should focus on when they head to the polling stations next Thursday. She’s right, of course, but it’s hard to think of a more […]

This wasn’t in the script… … it was certainly not how it had played out in her head on that Snowdonia walk with Philip, when she and the country were still honeymooning. Not remotely. It seems so bloody long ago now and she wonders if all that Welsh mountain air hadn’t actually given her a […]

Updates, reaction and analysis as the election enters final days. .

All the election news, reaction and analysis on June 1. .

This has not been a Brexit election. But the result will determine what Brexit deal we get Theresa May wanted and expected this to be a Brexit election. But as is always the case, it is the public and not politicians who decide what an election is about. I have been campaigning in constituencies across […]

Brexit has generated an unprecedented degree of unity between the other 27 EU member states. Given that the EU is a diverse, inherently fractious, multinational organisation already struggling with the strains caused by the financial and refugee crises, such solidarity is remarkable. But the powerful reasons underlying this unity make it likely to endure throughout […]

All profits to the victims’ charity Order your copy of Gary Barker’s The New European cover, in memory of the Manchester victims, premium quality and for each poster sold we’ll donate £5 to the Manchester Disaster Fund. – Credit: Archant We are pleased to offer The New European readers the chance to buy a premium […]

Our fixation with Germany is based on a fatal misunderstanding of its history and risks poisoning our future relationship, Every year, the Bovington Tank Museum knows that one particular event will be sold out months in advance, at premium prices. This is Tiger Day, when Britons flock to see the museum’s 1944 Tiger tank being […]

Starve of attention those who can’t keep their mouths shut This article originally appeared in The New European on May 26 As the aftermath of the atrocity in Manchester is being picked through both literally and figuratively, I don’t have anything useful, insightful or helpful to say on the subject. I could join in with […]

Our Brexiteer diarist still can’t quite work out how the Tories got themselves into such a pickle over the funding of social care Writing a mildly amusing diary column in the immediate aftermath of a terror attack is not the easiest task in the world, so in this first chunk I’m not even going to […]

All the election news, reaction and analysis on May 31. .

The Conservative’s muddled dementia tax and the subsequent u-turn leave us as far from a humane solution as ever There is a perception that greedy baby-boomers are responsible for any and every economic ill; that younger generations are suffering while their elders cruise into the sunset on the profits of successive housing booms, their steamer […]

Whatever the outcome of negotiations, Ireland’s foreign minister cannot foresee relations between Britain and Ireland getting better Like any other human endeavour, politics is subject to the Law of Unintended Consequences. When the people of the United Kingdom voted to leave the European Union in June of last year, I do not think they could […]

Liar Liar GE2017 will not be played on Radio One’s Official Singles Chart – but you can listen to it here The protest song, Liar Liar, was released last Friday by Captain Ska, a six-piece anti-austerity band. The song brands Theresa May a liar and jokes about her propensity toward sound bites with the lyrics […]

It was billed as the ‘Battle for Number 10’ – but in the end no-one landed a knock out blow. It is, however, true that Theresa May is getting worse in high-pressure interview situations as the election campaign deepens and Jeremy Corbyn keeps getting better (that was until he tussled with Women’s Hour when he […]

A culinary icon of Jewish delis, there are more bagel bakers in London than you may think – we track down where to find a proper bagel in the capital Lots of people are talking about bagels at the moment. Not those pale, stale things you get in the supermarket – real bagels, where the […]

If you still don’t know which party to vote for in the 2017 General Election, this quick test – based on key pledges made by the main parties – is here to help Voters take to the polls next Thursday but if you still don’t know which party to vote for in the 2017 General […]

All the election news, reaction and analysis on May 30. .

As Britain sends troops on to the streets it joins other European countries living under a state of emergency – but does the military and intelligence service response work to counter terrorism. The horror of the Manchester attack casts a long shadow – troops on the streets, a halt to election campaigning and a heightened […]

Election news, analysis and reaction on May 29. .

Governments and societies are going to have to find the right actions and the right attitudes to stop jihadists from succeeding ‘I don’t have words’. So said Ariana Grande as she and her young fans were dragged into the awfulness of the adult world in the time it took for suicide bomber Salman Adebi to […]

Election news, reaction and analysis on May 28. .