Marie Le Conte
17 April 2026
Can you talk seriously about sex? No stupid jokes, no laughing. Can you?
One MP is giving it a go, and the results have been wearyingly predictable. But the internet means the way people learn about sex has changed forever. Sex education must change with it
Read the full article13 April 2026
Orbán’s defeat: The beginning of the end of populism
He spent over a decade tearing up the rules of Hungarian politics and society, and became a model for the new authoritarian global right. And now he’s out, the country is overwhelmed with joy
Read the full article08 April 2026
Hungary dares to dream – but Orbán has a trick up his sleeve
The populist PM looks increasingly desperate, yet even a narrow loss in Sunday’s election would see his grip on the country’s institutions continue
Read the full article07 April 2026
This revelation about the tradwife movement made me want to blow up social media
Surprise! The men who want women to be submissive and domestic aren’t really motivated by protection or tradition - but by hostile sexism
Read the full article03 April 2026
The most contradictory identity in America
The Iranian Jews of New York City arrived in the 1970s and now face a war in which three places they could call home are all involved. If the Islamic regime falls, that raises a tough question: would they ever go back?
Read the full article01 April 2026
For the love of God, stop taking your Zoom meetings in cafes
I popped in to get some admin done, and found a man loudly trying to pitch an AI-based start-up to some investors. It was unbearable
Read the full article01 April 2026
Loana Petrucciani, the French Britney Spears
A French reality TV star gained national attention by outraging the viewing public. What followed was tragedy
Read the full article25 March 2026
France can breathe a sigh of relief – for now
The bar recent French elections was low. Still, France managed to lumber over it
Read the full article23 March 2026
I’m flying to America – but is it still there?
I used to feel joy at the prospect of visiting the US. But now it feels like entering hostile territory. Wish me luck at passport control
Read the full article19 March 2026
The man bringing full-blown extremism back to the Tory party
Nick Timothy’s recent comments on Muslims have been so inflammatory they’ve done the unthinkable – they’ve drawn a unified, strong response from the Labour government
Read the full article19 March 2026
Hey everyone: don’t forget about the real world!
It’s very easy to get drawn into a life shaped entirely by the ogres who control the algorithms of social media. But that’s the route to populism. Why not go outside, and see what’s going on in the trees?
Read the full article18 March 2026
If you have kids but can’t be arsed to speak to them, what’s the point?
It’s depressing to see tiny children glued to screens and worrying to think what this total absorption in tech will do to their young minds. Are we raising a generation of screen-addicted zombies?
Read the full article11 March 2026
Brits living in Dubai – sorry, but you’re awful
If your priorities in life are heat and paying no tax, and if you choose to ignore harsh, dubious rules, especially for women, then don’t be surprised if most of us back in the old country regard you as a soulless, smug twat
Read the full article05 March 2026
This is the last chance for the French left
They are the only political force that can keep the extreme right wingers out of power in France. And so, of course, they have just fallen out
Read the full article04 March 2026
The problem that will never be solved
People with mental health issues can go to therapy, can seek help and learn to manage their conditions. But it’s important to remember that sometimes there is no happy ending
Read the full article04 March 2026
That friend you’ve not seen for ages? Give them a call
There’s a natural rhythm to relationships when you’re young that mean you can embrace someone without ever really meaning to
Read the full article25 February 2026
The Outsiders Arts Club
Do you secretly know very little about art? Are you interested in good stuff that doesn’t need a mortgage to buy it? Then this is the place for you
Read the full article25 February 2026
The one thing I will never understand about Britain – class
This September, I will have lived in the UK for longer than I lived in France. And yet the defining characteristic of British society still remains, to me, a total mystery
Read the full article14 February 2026
London is unaffordable – even for an optimist like me
My rent is about to jump by well over 10% and I’m not alone in my struggle. Why aren’t alarm bells ringing for the government?
Read the full article11 February 2026
A cure for political extremism
Smoking and drinking might be bad for the health, but sitting around with people who see the world differently can have profoundly beneficial effects
Read the full article10 February 2026
Dancing to Bad Bunny won’t save me from February
Going out every night, dancing around the flat listening to Bad Bunny, the cinema – none of it does any good. Perhaps the secret to dealing with seasonal misery is just to lean into it
Read the full article04 February 2026
Why I hate the French film classic everyone else loves
Godard’s A Bout De Souffle is needlessly repetitive and unbearably sexist
Read the full article31 January 2026
Should we be kicking out the children?
French trains have caused a stir by introducing age limits on certain services. Unfair, perhaps. But do you like peace and quiet? Or do you prefer screaming toddlers?
Read the full article28 January 2026
I bought a coat and it ruined my online life
One guilty purchase was all it took for the algorithm to start stalking me
Read the full article22 January 2026
Congratulations Kemi: Robert Jenrick is no longer your problem
The departure of hard right egotists like Jenrick gives Badenoch a chance – she can break the Conservative doom loop and move to the centre
Read the full article21 January 2026
My journey into Hades
I found Greek mythology a bit stuffy and dull when I studied it at school, but now I get why so many people got hooked over the centuries
Read the full article21 January 2026
This is what trans people really think
Last April’s Supreme Court ruling left a community shocked almost into silence. This is what they have to say about fear, defiance and the future
Read the full article17 January 2026
How to shout at the NHS
I had a large wound with a machine attached to it, but for some reason the doctors couldn’t help. I was assertive and received help – but it shouldn’t have to be that way
Read the full article15 January 2026
Robert Jenrick, the hollow man
This opportunistic ‘saviour’ could kill off the Tories completely
Read the full article08 January 2026
Brigitte Macron’s difficult court victory
Online trolls who claimed the French president’s wife was secretly a man, have been convicted in a Paris court. Does that mean misgendering someone – including trans people – now means jail time?
Read the full article08 January 2026
Help! I nearly fell for an AI scam
A whole load of people fell for AI-based scams over the Xmas and New Year period. I really thought the future was meant to be better than this
Read the full article07 January 2026
Britain’s ‘all or nothing’ problem
It ought to be possible to dabble in guilty pleasures without ruining our lives in the process. But Brits don’t seem to know the meaning of ‘moderation’
Read the full article