The Two Matts
By The New European
Join The New European's Matt Kelly and Matt d'Ancona plus occasional guests for weekly chat on politics and media with a side of cultural stuff. A podcast in the spirit of the award-winning New European newspaper - irreverent, witty, surprising, argumentative ... and annoying all the right people.
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Latest episode
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The Ballad of John and Paul … plus The End for Marine Le Pen?
The Matts are joined by Ian Leslie, author of the stupendously good John And Paul - A Love Story In Songs. They explore the freakish nature of an… -
Q&A: Does journalism get any better than Adrian Chiles on toilet rolls?
The Matts tackle listener questions this week on Gareth Southgate’s inspiring BBC lecture, Rachel Reeves’ survival chances, European defence spend, WhatsApp faux pas, the decline of the Democrats … and the big one; how can a couple of mere mortal … -
The failure of Rachel Reeves + the choreography of fascism
Is Rachel Reeves merely disappointing, or is there a willful denial of reality going on? Since when did Labour become the party of warfare over welfare? And who thought this was a great way to communicate national renewal? The Matts are bemused an… -
Yes, they are incompetent. Yes, they HATE Europe
Unprecedented scenes from Washington as it becomes apparent the US Government leadership has been wargaming on the equivalent of WhatsApp… and accidentally looped in a top journalist. The leaked security information – including specific details of… -
Q&A: Should the French take back the Statue of Liberty?
Should the French take back the Statue of Liberty? Will Canada join the EU? Why do Liverpool FC fans boo the national anthem? How can we control social media from brainwashing us? And why the hell are you two talking so fast? All these and more, a… -
Reform’s falling apart - and the best book we’ve read in ages
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… -
Gaza, Columbia and the Copium epidemic
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-cleansi… -
Q&A: Is this America’s Brexit moment?
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&… -
Has Starmer become the PM we need?
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 thro… -
Liverpool and the unmaking of Britain
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 hist…