London, GB | Formerly of New York, Buenos Aires, Fife, and the Western Cape. | Saoránach d’Éirinn.

The European I grew up with

When I was a kid, The European — the weekly broadsheet that billed itself as “Europe’s national newspaper” from 1990 to 1998 — was my favourite newspaper and was an indelible part of our Sunday routine in the Cusack household. First Mass, then a trip to the pastry shop, then pick up The European at the newsagents next door, and back home to read and munch al fresco.

The paper was fiercely Euro-federalist until Andrew Neil took over, so I suspect were I to look back on a few copies now, I would probably strongly disagree with its politics. The late Peter Ustinov was a columnist, and he was not just a European integrationist but indeed a major supporter of world federalism (i.e. the abolition of nations and the rule of the planet by a single government; in theory democratic but inevitably a dictatorship of course).

Nonetheless, it was a very broad paper, with news from all across the continent from Cork to Constantinople, and I have no doubt its coverage played at least some role in the formation of your humble and obedient scribe.

I’ve always found the fake newspapers mocked-up for film productions interesting. In the 1997 film “The Saint” (above and the two below), Ivan Tretiak, the villainous leader of a nationalist party in Russia, sits in the transit lounge at Tempelhof and reads a copy of The European (the lead front-page story of which is Tretiak himself).

An appetizing morning collation.

Published at 10:45 pm on Sunday 29 June 2008. Categories: Design Newspapers Tags: , , , .
Comments

I’m sure the real European would never have used an exclamation mark in a headline — certainly not on the front page.

— Peter 30 Jun 2008 7:32 am

Off-topic, certainly, but I thought of our young Mr. Cusack when I read this article:

http://www.theamericanscholar.org/su08/elite-deresiewicz.html

— JB 30 Jun 2008 3:00 pm

This reminds me. The Spectator is giving away a replica of its first 1828 issue with this week’s ordinary issue. I haven’t yet picked mine up, but if it is a full issue replicated I think it well worth it (despite the modern Spectator’s mild decline of late). If you cannot find it out in America (or, as is sometimes frustratingly the case, the imported copies are denuded of it and all other free gifts), I would be happy to send along a copy to you. Let me know.

Best etc,

(Sir Walter) Scott

— Scott 30 Jun 2008 9:19 pm
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