The Two Matts

It’s been a tough couple of weeks for Nigel Farage and his Reform Party - 20% of whose MPs have been expelled and are now threatening to sue him. But beyond that fun, what does the split in the party mean? Should we take any comfort from it or the Farage juggernaut still on track to challenge Starmer at the next General Election. In Part 2, The Matts discuss one of the best books they’ve read in ages - Abundance by Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson. It’s an epiphany - how right wing nationalists use scarcity to scare people and how there’s a clear response from liberals if only they have the courage to make it. It will change how you think about this new world we inhabit. Enjoy!EXCLUSIVE OFFER: Get The New European for just £1 for the first month. Head to theneweuropean.co.uk/2mattsBuy Abundance by Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson through our affiliate link to help support the podcast: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/13277/9781805226055 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The ceasefire is over. More than 400 Palestinians, including children, are dead after Israeli air bombardments in the middle of the night, with the assent of Donald Trump’s White House. What end is there now, other than the ultimate ethnic-cleansing of Palestine? Meanwhile, in New York’s Columbia University, a student is threatened with deportation for pro-Palestinian activism. The Matts look deep into the authoritarian regime forming in Washington. But don’t worry about any of that! Simply take your daily prescription of Copium and let your liberal anxieties drift away in a warm, fuzzy blur of complacency. It’s all the rage - and it’s why the Matts pledge the New European will forever be a Copium Free Zone. Tune in and find out why!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 America Brexiting from the world? Did we learn anything from Covid? Why isn’t history taught more in school? Have we got a problem with young white males? And was Kevin Bridges right about Trump all along? All this and more in this week’s Q&A with the Two Matts. 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 past two weeks have been good for Keir Starmer. As Tom Baldwin writes in this week’s New European, he has fallen back on his core qualities; a kind of radical relentlessness. The Matts assess his performance and ask if Starmer is ready to throw off the Labour obsession with appeasing the so-called red wall and instead embrace Labour’s natural audience: Us! In the first part, the Matts discuss the latest news from the ongoing Ukraine sell-out. 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 speak with Sam Wetherell, author of the brilliant Liverpool And The Unmaking Of Britain. It’s not only a fascinating dive into the history of Liverpool, a city whose rise and fall impacted the whole world, but it’s also a prism through which we can try to understand our own complex times. How did one man from North Carolina doom the entire Liverpool dock industry? How did a black pastor try to ignite the cause of Pan-Africanism from two knocked-together terrace houses? How did the Beatles go from being practically ignored by the city to being the centre of its renaissance? And what kind of politics do we need in an age of increasing obsolescence? All these questions are answered, and many more, in one of the most absorbing interviews the Matts have done. Enjoy!Buy Liverpool And The Unmaking of Britain through our affiliate link and help support the podcast: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/13277/9781801108881EXCLUSIVE 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 tackle questions from listeners including should X be banned in the UK? Should we withdraw the offer of a State Visit for Trump? Are we AI friendly? And why the hell are we insulting the dignity of the Two Matts podcast by not wearing suits? 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 transfixed by Trump’s address to Congress. Once they get over the sheer magnetism of his schtick, they unpack how it works and why the right is so good at messaging. In part two, they analyse what might be the greatest speech to date about the horrifying implications Trump holds for Europe. A real reality check, articulated perfectly by a French centre-right politician. If you seek clarity in what Trump means for democracy, then click and listen. Enjoy!EXCLUSIVE OFFER: Get The New European for just £1 for the first month. Head to https://www.theneweuropean.co.uk/2matts/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Matts are joined by Trump chronicler supreme, Michael Wolff, whose new book All Or Nothing is a riveting and revelatory telling of Trump’s extraordinary journey back to the White House. What are the characteristics that turned a seemingly irredeemable position into a second term? What do his inner circle really think of him? Why does Melania “hate his f***ing guts?” What triggered such an explosion against Zelensky? What has Putin got over him? And how can Europe deal with a President who thrives on instinct, without a plan or philosophy? All this and more in an interview both entertaining and terrifying. If you want to get inside Trump’s head, for better or worse, this is the place. Enjoy!Buy All Or Nothing by Michael Wolff via our affiliate link and help support the podcast: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/13277/9781408713945EXCLUSIVE 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 grapple with our former Prime Minister's latest outbursts, dig into a deep mailbag of Burnham questions and speculate wildly on the Oscars this evening. Enjoy! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The discussion dives into Trump's shifting stance towards Ukraine, revealing his alignment with Russia and the consequences for the West. President Zelensky emerges as a figure of integrity, effectively navigating these turbulent times. The hosts assess implications for NATO and the EU, as well as the complexity of U.S. foreign policy post-Trump. They also highlight the challenges of maintaining international alliances amid rising geopolitical tensions. The conversation wraps up with reflections on global aid and the intricacies of defense strategies.