Marie Le Conte
11 September 2024
Dilettante: on bad shopping
It is not an easy thing to say, but buying things online – specifically cheap, poorly made things – should not be as easy as it currently is
Read the full article05 September 2024
Michel Barnier: a Macronic miscalculation
The French president’s new choice of PM shows that his political project has ended in failure
Read the full article04 September 2024
The joyful nostalgia of band reunions
I may not be a fan of Oasis, but people’s excitement about their reunion is infectious
Read the full article31 August 2024
Starmer risks a membership vote row
Political parties belong to activists as much as they do to leaders
Read the full article28 August 2024
Dilettante: On a fresh start
The election of hundreds of new MPs presents Parliament with a short window of opportunity
Read the full article22 August 2024
Labour needs some Conventional wisdom
What Harris’s Democrats can teach Starmer’s Labour party
Read the full article21 August 2024
Kemi Badenoch gets it wrong, again
The Tory leadership candidate’s mixed-race children won’t be forced to pick an identity - despite what her latest culture war rant says
Read the full article14 August 2024
Dilettante: Joining the X-odus
Is it time to leave Elon Musk’s online sewer?
Read the full article11 August 2024
The end of the right wing press
They’re out of touch, out of power and running out of readers
Read the full article07 August 2024
Visiting the other half of France
More Belgian in its culture than French, the north has nothing on the western coast
Read the full article06 August 2024
Politicians – speak up for immigration
It makes the country richer, culturally and economically. Now’s the time to say so
Read the full article31 July 2024
How I learned to love the Olympics
The opening ceremony felt like France reintroducing itself to the world, warts and all
Read the full article31 July 2024
A long race to the bottom
Yet another Tory leadership battle is under way. But, outside of the six contenders, does anyone really care?
Read the full article29 July 2024
The Tory leadership circus begins
Kemi Badenoch remains the front-runner - bizarre given how ill-suited to the job she is
Read the full article25 July 2024
Who will oppose Keir Starmer?
Labour dominates Westminster, and the Tories are a diminished mess – but the two child benefit cap will reveal the true opposition
Read the full article24 July 2024
The dark side of the Olympics
French politicians promised the Games would benefit everyone but, once again, the Olympics are bulldozing over a city and its residents
Read the full article19 July 2024
The French left is missing its moment
Days after those election gains, squabbling over PM candidates makes it look as dysfunctional as ever
Read the full article17 July 2024
I still believe in England's Euros dream
‘It’s coming home’ isn’t meant to be brash, it’s about hope
Read the full article12 July 2024
The irrelevant Tories
Suddenly, after all these years, I don’t have to worry about them any more
Read the full article08 July 2024
Taking a moment to enjoy political victories
Politics doesn’t always go your way, so it’s important to drink it in when it does
Read the full article03 July 2024
The trials of being a French citizen in the UK
Being French and yet so invested in British life, you get double the highs and double the lows
Read the full article03 July 2024
A pro-EU parliament?
A wave of Brexiter MPs are on the way out. Can a new generation address the elephant in the room – that Britain has changed its mind on Brexit?
Read the full article26 June 2024
Dilettante: Will Labour call time on political boozing?
There are rumours that a Labour government may try to put an end to Westminster’s drinking culture by shutting down the bars on the parliamentary estate
Read the full article25 June 2024
Hold your nose and vote for sanity
In past French elections, the left has voted for the centre to keep out Le Pen. Now the right is being asked to do the same – but will they?
Read the full article20 June 2024
Labour’s media miscalculation
Shutting out the press is a big mistake – especially if you’re heading for a big majority
Read the full article19 June 2024
Dilettante: How gaming saved my mental health
I love reading books with all my heart, but my Nintendo Switch has saved my life and sanity on more than one occasion
Read the full article14 June 2024
Rishi Sunak, the inexplicable prime minister
He can’t be enjoying this, can he?
Read the full article10 June 2024
Where will Macron's fight against the hard right end?
For years, the French hard right has cast a perpetual shadow over the country’s politics
Read the full article08 June 2024
Ed Davey’s winning campaign
He’s not going to become PM, but he’s already taught Starmer and Sunak a lesson
Read the full article05 June 2024
Technological progress isn't always a good thing
I will miss the London Underground’s lack of internet
Read the full article29 May 2024
Diane Abbott and the problem with Starmer’s iron fist
The Labour leader needs MPs from all sides of his party, even the ones he’d rather do without
Read the full article29 May 2024
My relationship with Arabic is complicated
The language is embedded in my family history; I just don’t have time for it yet
Read the full article