The Two Matts

Matthew d'Ancona and Matt Kelly again respond to your queries. They discuss whether Keir Starmer really believes the Daily Mail can ever be won over, if there's a case for the study of wisdom in the age of AI and whether they share one reader's nostalgia for the dying days of the last Tory government.Plus there's talk about whether the media panders to Nigel Farage and Donald Trump, the groupthink of the Lobby and the collective madness over Oasis.EXCLUSIVE OFFER: Get The New European for just £1 for the first month. Head to theneweuropean.co.uk/2matts Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Is the government’s new plan for dealing with our burgeoning prison population sensible? And is it a vote winner? Two very different questions - the Matts discuss. And did the red top tabloids fall for the oldest trick in the art of political communications? Also this week - what did Trump’s Oval Office ambush of the South African President this week add up to? More than It appears is the Matts verdict. Enjoy!EXCLUSIVE OFFER: Get The New European for just £1 for the first month. Head to theneweuropean.co.uk/2matts Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Matts are on something of a high. This week’s EU deal suddenly feels much more consequential than they’d expected. Credit (for once) to Starmer … even in his technocratic monotone, he presided over a clear vibe shift in the UK’s relationship with the EU. No, it doesn’t go nearly far enough. No, it’s not rejoin. But yes … it’s a new pathway and it feels like we have, finally, a PM willing to start fixing the mess of the last 9 years. The hard yards start now, but at least we can be confident that we’ve won the argument, Brexit is definitively a dud, and the future beckons. Enjoy.EXCLUSIVE OFFER: Get The New European for just £1 for the first month. Head to theneweuropean.co.uk/2matts Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Matts touched a nerve last week with some comments about the desirability of proportional representation… or otherwise! Here they have it out and reach some surprising conclusions about how the UK should choose its MPs. Also - is Labour misdiagnosing its problems? Can there be a surge of Green populism? Will we ever see see the likes of José Mujica again? And is one personal jumbo jet really ever enough? Enjoy!EXCLUSIVE OFFER: Get The New European for just £1 for the first month. Head to theneweuropean.co.uk/2matts Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Donald Trump’s whirlwind Middle East tour leaves the Matts open-mouthed at the sheer audacity of his grift … and helps them form a picture about how he may be planning to rule beyond a second term. Also this week; Matt K recalls his very first week in journalism - covering the trial of Peter Sullivan 38 years ago as he was found guilty of the savage murder of Diane Sindall. Now he’s been proved to be innocent, what can we learn about our justice system? The questions are both profound and troubling.EXCLUSIVE OFFER: Get The New European for just £1 for the first month. Head to theneweuropean.co.uk/2matts Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Join Matt Kelly and Matthew d’Ancona as they try to make sense of Labour’s latest plans for immigration. Are they trying to outflank Farage? What will their core voters think? And does this make their chances of a second term more or less likely? Also - are the Tories finished as a political force? Matt D lays out a compelling case for their terminal condition. What does this mean for UK politics? Enjoy!EXCLUSIVE OFFER: Get The New European for just £1 for the first month. Head to theneweuropean.co.uk/2matts Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Matts get their heads around the cost of travelling in the UK by train, wonder if the death of Weightwatchers signifies a stage of human evolution, lament the disgraceful comments of Reform’s Andrea Jenkyns and offer their guiding hand to Downing Street… enjoy!EXCLUSIVE OFFER: Get The New European for just £1 for the first month. Head to theneweuropean.co.uk/2matts Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Matts are joined by New European political editor James Ball to step back and reflect on why Keir Starmer’s government is conspicuously failing to excite and unite a British public desperate for change after so many years of Tory rule. They have their theories. Is there an easy(-ish) answer? And who should they really be worried about if it’s not Reform? In the second half, the Matts take a look at the new documentary into the life of Leni Riefenstahl, filmmaker to the Nazis, and ask what her post-war rehabilitation tells us about the intersection of culture and politics.EXCLUSIVE OFFER: Get The New European for just £1 for the first month. Head to theneweuropean.co.uk/2matts Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Matts are joined by acclaimed author and FT journalist Edward Luce to talk about his new book Zbig— the definitive biography of Zbigniew Brzezinski, Cold War strategist and key architect of U.S. foreign policy. More than just a biography, Zbig offers sharp insights into the nature of power and America’s role in the world. If you want to understand how global strategy is shaped, this episode is essential listening.Zbig: The Life of Zbigniew Brzezinski, America's Cold War Prophet is out on May the 13th. Preorder here.EXCLUSIVE OFFER: Get The New European for just £1 for the first month. Head to theneweuropean.co.uk/2matt Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Matts consider life without electricity, are staggered by the sugar in kids’ milkshakes, wonder who will hold Farage to account, celebrate VE Day and ask why Tony Blair feels the need to undermine net zero. Oh, and they also continue their quest for evidence of Neil Oliver’s past life as a Lindisfarne roadie. Enjoy!EXCLUSIVE OFFER: Get The New European for just £1 for the first month. Head to theneweuropean.co.uk/2matts Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.