The Two Matts

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 journalists like us compete with master baker Adrian Chiles? EXCLUSIVE OFFER: Get The New European for just £1 for the first month . Head to theneweurope...

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 and worried that the government seems to have entirely misunderstood the new world we find ourselves in.  Also - the ghastly performance of deportatio...

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 American military missions – is astonishing enough. But what the messages also betray is the sheer loathing of Europe held by JD Vance and others in the...

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, answered just for you! Enjoy! EXCLUSIVE OFFER: Get The New European for just £1 for the first month . Head to theneweuropean.co.uk/2matts Hosted on Acast....

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 rea...

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 loo...

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...

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 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...

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/pr...

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 c...

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 a...

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.

What is Trump’s real objective? And what do European leaders do now, as the reality that the President of the United States is not simply indifferent to their fate, but actively hostile. Trump hasn’t just abandoned Ukraine - he’s actually switched sides and in siding with Russia over the carve up of its territory and mineral wealth, has sealed the coffin lid on what we grew up knowing as The West....

Manchester mayor Andy Burnham joins the Matts ahead of this week’s Convention of the North - the annual meeting of minds focussed on the ongoing revival of the UK’s great northern regions and cities. Andy delves deep into the opportunities and challenges facing cities like Liverpool, Manchester and Leeds - emerging from the threat of obsolescence into economic and cultural powerhouses of the 21st...

Should the Matts write the briefing notes for Keir Starmer’s trip to see Trump? What would Mr Kelly do if a populist Government tried to muzzle The New European? And what should we make of Boris Johnson's silence on matters Ukraine these past few weeks? All these questions and more answered on today's Q&A. Enjoy! EXCLUSIVE OFFER: Get The New European for just £1 for the first month. Head to&nb...

The Matts are joined by New European columnist Tanit Koch who tells them everything they need to know about the weekend’s federal elections in Germany. What are the consequences of the far right AfD’s growing support? What difference will a conservative Chancellor make on illegal immigration and the economy - the two burning issues at the heart of this vote? And what role can Germany play in a Eur...

Keir Starmer has pledged British boots on the ground to keep whatever peace Trump and Putin carve up between them over Ukraine. The consequences are staggering and disturbing, as the Matts discover during the course of a tightly argued podcast. Meanwhile, JD Vance openly humiliates European leaders and sends the clearest signal yet that America First is a slogan representing international menace a...

Is Labour's immigration posturing the last straw for those who wanted a progressive Government? Should Eric Schmidt be listened to about anything? And was the last Liverpool derby at Goodison a game for the ages? The Matts ponder all in this Sunday's bonus Q&A episode. Enjoy! EXCLUSIVE OFFER: Get The New European for just £1 for the first month. Head to theneweuropean.co.uk/2matts Hosted on Ac...

The Matts are live at the Media Collective Summit and discuss the extraordinary pace of events in Washington - are we literally watching a coup taking place in the world’s biggest democracy? Who is in charge? Elon Musk or Donald Trump? And what are the consequences for Europe? How should Starmer react? In part two - are politicians getting crapper? The Matts discuss and make an astonishing discove...

The Matts are joined by Bloomberg’s Parmy Olson - author of “ Supermacy: AI, ChatGPT and the race that will change the world ”. Parmy leads us through the development of Artificial Intelligence; the extraordinary story of the two men leading the race towards AGI (don’t worry, all will be explained); and the enormous opportunities and challenges this new technology brings. If you find yourself wond...

Is the leader of the opposition "Bad Enoch" or just "bad enough"? Are there no red lines for the UK when facing Trump? And do journalists pale in comparison to the Black Country Bard himself, Mr Adrian Chiles? Find out in our latest instalment of our weekly Q&A. Enjoy! Get a FREE bottle of tequila when you subscribe to The New European (over 18s only, see ts and cs):  theneweuropean.co.uk...

The Matts are dumbfounded by Trump’s plan to take ownership of Gaza and turn it into a Mediterranean riviera - or, more accurately, force the displacement of millions of Palestinians and totally demolish any chance of progress toward a two-state solution. This lunatic approach to international policy is an entirely new and terrifying form of statecraft - how can leaders react? Also - the Matts wat...

The Matts are joined by Damian Collins - former Tory minister who launched a national inquiry into fake news and election interference. How can we protect society from online harm? How can government’s hope to contain the whims of a man like Elon Musk? And what does he make of Kemi Badenoch’s first months as leader of the Conservatives? The Matts also explore his fascination with two giants of a b...

Have we already lost more cash post-Brexit than the entire time we were in the EU? Should we have been harder on Peter Hyman? Will the UK buy Greenland? These questions and more are answered in today's bonus episode. Plus: is Adrian Chiles the new TS Elliot? Enjoy! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.