News and Opinion

We shouldn’t be surprised about the sudden emergence of populism. Illiberalism has deep roots. And we’ve allowed it to grow Over the course of last year, several commentators claimed that we were witnessing a ‘new xenophobia’, the product of an all-too-visible populism. Oxford University Professor and Dean of the Blavatnik School of Government, Ngaire Woods […]

There is a thriving market for paintings by Adolf Hitler. But if the works are not valued for their artistic merit, just what is the attraction? Painting by Adolf Hitler painted in Munich just before World War One, 1914 – Credit: World History Archive / TopFoto Ever owned a masterpiece of a renowned artist? A […]

Are we safe with a pro-Putin, anti-EU, NATO-sceptic in the White House? Will the president-elect’s promised trade deal really be quick and fair? And are we safe with a pro-Putin, anti-EU, NATO-sceptic in the White House? These are the two main takeaways from Donald Trump’s interview with Michael Gove. Trump said: ‘We’re gonna work very […]

Labour and the Tories are now marching, hand in hand, towards a Hard Brexit Six months on from the EU referendum, the country is faced with a divisive Tory Brexit government, an NHS being stretched to breaking point and huge uncertainty over our economic future. At home we see values that have long underpinned our […]

Britain will pursue a Hard Brexit and quit the European single market when it leaves the EU, Theresa May has confirmed. Outlining her plans for Brexit the Prime Minister said she was willing to sacrifice access to the single market if it requires the free movement of people and the jurisdiction of the European Court […]

Brexit is the result of an English delusion, a crisis of identity resulting from a failure to come to terms with the loss of empire and the end of its own exceptionalism, argues Cambridge University professor Nicholas Boyle There is a great lie peddled about the referendum: that it expressed the will of the British […]

Former leader of the 1968 student protests. Daniel Cohn-Bendit explains what links those protests to Brexit and Trump, where the EU has failed and the simple way it can succeed Daniel Cohn-Bendit is the European par excellence, the one whose details might have been given to Henry Kissinger when the former American Secretary of State […]

Dany Cohn-Bendit est l’Européen par excellence. Celui dont on pourrait donner les coordonnées à Henry Kissinger quand l’ancien secrétaire d’Etat américain persiflait de sa fameuse phrase : « L’Europe : quel numéro de téléphone ? » Né en France de parents juifs allemands, ancien leader du mouvement étudiant de Mai 1968 à Paris, ancien adjoint […]

These refugees used freedom of expression take back control Hastily constructed rooms with no roofs or doors served to give each family some privacy. A skirting board of black paint was created to give the central corridor visual consistency and cover scuff marks. (Daniel Soll�) – Credit: Archant Distressed by the tragedies unfolding from the […]

Donald Trump, like Barack Obama before him, is an actor and Meryl Streep played the role of the critic. Playwright Bonnie Greer on an unfolding American drama Piers Morgan ends his assessment of Meryl Streep’s Golden Globes speech with the following: ‘How much more effective would it have been had the most powerful woman in […]

What Brexit Britain desperately needs is a clear message from the Opposition, but the Labour leadership continues to heap chaos on top of confusion Business likes certainty. Markets like clarity. Politicians who have been painted into a tight corner, often by their own careless brushstrokes, prefer a bit of latitude, even freedom to change the […]

Jeremy Corbyn thinks we overdid the control freakery, says Labour’s spin doctor, but he must realise – after that flawed relaunch – that voters need to know exactly what you stand for I am confused. Given the mini-avalanche of tweets, emails and generally exasperated messages from like-minded friends and colleagues that flowed from Jeremy Corbyn’s […]

Whether the allegations are all fake news or not, mix and match by taking one from each column to create your own Trump scandals… quickly, before they actually happen Pick one from each column to create your very own scandalous story – Credit: Archant Trump fake news generator Click me Tweet us your favourites @theneweuropean

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: […]