Author
Denis MacShane
Former UK Minister for Europe & Contributing Editor at The Globalist
[United Kingdom]
Denis MacShane, a Contributing Editor at The Globalist, was the United Kingdom’s Minister for Europe from 2002 to 2005. He is the author of “Brexit: How Britain Will Leave Europe,” “Brexit No Exit. Why (in the end) Britain Won’t Leave Europe,” and “Brexiternity. The Uncertain Fate of Britain.”
Denis MacShane was the Member of Parliament for the UK’s Rotherham constituency, in South Yorkshire, from 1994 to 2012. In 2001, he was named a minister at the Foreign Office by Prime Minister Tony Blair.
He began his career as a BBC reporter. Before becoming an MP, he worked for the international trade union movement promoting trade union rights and wrote books on the steel industry and on global political issues. He set up and was first chairman of the Steel Group of MPs in the House of Commons and worked closely with the steel industry and trade unions in South Yorkshire.
Mr. MacShane was born in Glasgow, Scotland. He holds a Master’s degree from Oxford University and a Ph.D. from the University of London.
Articles by Denis MacShane
UK Tories and Rishi Sunak: Revenge for the Empire?
If and when Rishi Sunak becomes Britain’s next Prime Minister, Europe would see its first leader of Indian parents.
January 30, 2022
Eric Zemmour: Hijacking Beethoven
How Eric Zemmour, a right-wing candidate for president in France, abuses the legacy of Ludwig van Beethoven for electoral purposes.
December 22, 2021
Eric Zemmour: France’s New Elitist-Extremist Menace
In next year’s presidential election, will France retreat from reason and science to embrace radical politics?
December 1, 2021
After Brexit: How Poland Replaces the UK
The EU-related obstinacy of Poland’s governing party is rooted not just in the desire to rewrite their own country’s post-war history, or even Europe’s. It is all a big-time deflection maneuver.
October 29, 2021
The U.K. in the 1970s and Today: Déja Vu All Over Again
We had rising inflation and unemployment. Same today.
October 19, 2021
Britain’s Future: Back to the Stone Age
Boris Johnson’s Brexit maneuver is backfiring on store shelves and crippling the country’s logistics. But the British PM is a master of cynical, but well-timed distractions.
September 30, 2021
Sankt Angela of Europe?
As the long-time German chancellor completes her last term in office, it isn’t just her own center-right party that is struggling at the polls.
September 20, 2021
Boris Johnson: Just blame the French!
The British Prime Minister resorts to an age-old political ploy of UK politics, blaming the French.
July 21, 2021
Johnson’s and Macron’s Uncertain Political Futures
Underneath the clichés of the eternal rivalry between France and England, Boris Johnson and Emmanuel Macron are closer than most people would believe.
June 22, 2021
May Day, May Day: What About Trade Unions?
A dues paying union member all my life, still proud to carry my union card, today I cannot see worker power anywhere in the world. No wonder political parties of the left are waning.
May 1, 2021
Vaccine Diplomacy: COVID and the Return of Soft Power
Pandemic diplomacy as a foreign policy tool – from Western powers to the UAE.
April 30, 2021
China Vs. the West: An Epic Global Battle Is Brewing
Could Magnitsky-style social media campaigns challenge authoritarians like Putin and Xi?
March 29, 2021
Harry’s and Meghan’s Clever Commonwealth Ploy
The Oprah Winfrey interview lights a fire that is consuming the British royals.
March 10, 2021
Joe Biden: The Last of the 1968 Generation
The long march of the 1968 generation through politics is coming to its end. Biden is the big exception. He will be 1968er’s last hurrah.
November 11, 2020
Swiss Hold Second Referendum and Say Yes to Europe
The Brexit virus refuses to cross the Channel.
September 28, 2020
How to Handle the Evolution of Belarus
The West should support democracy in Belarus, but avoid provocative promises.
August 19, 2020
25 Years After Srebrenica: No Peace or Reconciliation in West Balkans
Imagine it is 1970 -- and still there is no peace or reconciliation between France and Germany. Fast forward to the present and consider the situation in the West Balkans.
July 11, 2020
Do Black Nations Matter in Brussels?
Even the biggest supporter of the EU at times has to pause and ask why it is so keen on double standards. It blacklists poor African countries for money laundering, not rich countries.
June 12, 2020
COVID 19 and the Marshall Plan Illusion
Why the Marshall Plan would be turned down by today’s European leaders.
April 22, 2020
Steve Bannon: Failed Crusader
What happened to Steve Bannon’s crusade to conquer Europe with nationalist anti-immigrant Trump clones?
September 3, 2019
Macron’s Grand Design: The Russia-Iran Deal for Trump
Macron seems to be prepping a tempting offer: How about letting Russia back into the G8 (as Trump wants), in exchange for Trump cooling his fire on Iran?
August 27, 2019
Ukraine’s Elections Repudiate Oligarchs, Putin
A more prosperous Ukraine —where good money from legal economic activity drives out bad money from corruption and illegal trading — will worry Putin.
July 22, 2019
Germany’s SPD on the War Path Against von der Leyen
Why MEPs should avoid small-minded, backbiting politics as they elect the EU Commission President.
July 12, 2019
With 15 EU “Spitzenkandidaten” — Whom to Choose?
The system to select the new Commission President may have been well-intentioned, but it remains the private plaything of Brussels insiders with little contact to European citizens.
May 17, 2019
Brexit Devours Its Children
Tory anti-Europeanism ended Margaret Thatcher, John Major, David Cameron and Theresa May. Who’s next?
March 28, 2019
Macron at the Barricades
Is it all downhill for President Macron from here on out? The early political fortunes of two other major Western reform politicians – Margaret Thatcher and Bill Clinton – should provide comfort.
February 19, 2019
Venezuela: A Rare Case of Turkish-Greek Harmony
Why is Greece supporting a dictatorship in Venezuela that is as bad as the Colonels’ Junta that ruled Greece from 1967 to 1974?
January 29, 2019
Greece’s Alexis Tsipras: A Remarkably Solid Politician
Alexis Tsipras admired Hugo Chavez. Then he became Greece’s Prime Minister. Now, he’s Washington’s good friend.
October 18, 2018
Must Germany Have Yet One More Top Job in Europe?
A German as head of the European Commission? If this is unstoppable, leave the German man who is lined up for the post in Berlin. Instead, send a powerful German woman to Brussels.
August 25, 2018
Macron: Now What?
There is a massive opening for France and Macron in Europe which no French president since Mitterrand 25 years ago has been able to seize.
September 22, 2017
Theresa May, Xenophobe: The Political Utility of the EU
Theresa May has long been obsessed with immigration. On that issue, she has managed to connect with some UK voters.
June 7, 2017
Angela Merkel and the 10-Year Rule
If there is an iron law of European politics, it is for leaders to get out at the top as the ten-year rule completes its cycle.
October 30, 2015
Tsipras: A Turnaround Artist?
Greek prime minister's U-Turn shows politics dominates economics.
July 10, 2015
David Cameron and Europe: On the Road to Damascus
Cameron’s problem is not about the EU, but about Britain and the future path of his own party.
June 12, 2015
The European Union as a Foreign Policy Weakling
Does the EU lack the will to deal with its eastern “partners” at Riga?
May 21, 2015
Grexit and Brexit: Some Stunning Parallels
Both Greece and Britain could face referendums that would change their place in Europe.
May 14, 2015
David Cameron, the Minimalist
Cameron has set the barrier for the EU so low even Jean-Claude Juncker could hop over it.
May 14, 2015
May 8, 1945: Beyond the Unconditional Surrender of German Forces
The ominous date also marks the beginning of violence and occupation in Algeria, Greece and Eastern Europe.
May 8, 2015
10 Things They Won’t Tell You about the British Election
The upcoming election is the strangest in recent British political history.
May 7, 2015
Brexit Looming? Will Britain Leave the EU?
It would be a geo-economic-political moment without parallel in the democratic world since 1945.
May 5, 2015
The Western Balkans: Europe’s Forgotten Region
The Balkans are still posed to plague the 21st century.
March 22, 2015
Where Is David Cameron?
Exploring Britain’s disappearance as a geopolitical player.
February 17, 2015
Greece Week 3: It’s Politics, Stupid
Syriza must learn how to play politics in Europe if it wants to stay in power.
February 8, 2015
Greece Versus Europe: Week One
Strategic reflections on the first week of Europe’s biggest drama.
February 2, 2015
Europe’s Eager Islamism Understanders
After more than 25 years of Islamist killings in Europe, isn’t it time to stop blaming Israel or George W. Bush?
January 18, 2015
2015: The Year of All Elections for Europe?
Voters from Greece to Britain may finally decide if the EU will survive.
December 30, 2014
Britain’s Christmas Gift to Putin
Cameron commits a shocking diplomatic mistake and loses yet another European ally.
December 6, 2014
Cameron To Europe: Don’t Come Here Unless You Have a Job
The UK Prime Minister also wants you to leave your spouse at home.
November 28, 2014
13 Facts about Winston Churchill
The remarkable downsides of Britain's most famous leader.
November 24, 2014
Winston Churchill: Hagiography Versus History
Churchill is hero, not history, and Britain still lives under his shadow.
November 23, 2014
Romania: The German Factor and a Continental Pattern
The election in Romania shows how Europe grows together – quietly.
November 18, 2014
Time for Greece to Lead on Kosovo
Can the new EU foreign affairs chief, Frederica Mogherini, move forward on the semi-frozen conflicts of the Western Balkans?
November 9, 2014
Juncker’s Confidential Letter to Europe’s Leaders
A Globalist Exclusive: What the Juncker Commission needs from EU leaders for its mission to succeed.
October 31, 2014
Britain’s Conservatives: Independence Yes, Human Rights No
British Conservatives would rather discard the European Court of Human Rights than remain members of the EU.
October 3, 2014
The UK’s Problems Have Just Begun
Far from settling everything, the Scottish vote has opened everything up.
September 19, 2014
Mr. Juncker’s New Commission: Good for Europe’s Future?
The new EU Commission looks good, but national governments remain in charge in Europe.
September 12, 2014
Scotland’s Exit: An Earthquake for Britain
London has already lost in the fight for Scottish independence.
September 8, 2014
Mr. Tusk and Europe’s New Leadership
The effect may be to tilt Poland to the right creating a UK-Polish spoiler alliance in the EU.
September 1, 2014
London-grad: British Capital Under Russian Influence
Britain looks to move away from Russia, but London stands in the way.
August 11, 2014
War Crimes: How to Get Justice?
What are the lessons to be learned from the stalemate in Kosovo?
August 2, 2014
Message to France: “Reform or Drop Dead”
France's Prime Minister Valls urges his fellow citizens to reform.
July 7, 2014
Preventing Juncker: Cameron’s Self-Defeatist Move
Why is Britain's prime minister opposing the European Commission head who is most favorable to the UK's positions and interests?
June 20, 2014
European Election: Business as Usual
Claims about a watershed election are exaggerated, says the former UK Minister for Europe.
May 27, 2014
A Bulgarian to Watch Out For
Former Prime Minister Sergei Stanishev’s quiet rise toward EU power broker.
May 13, 2014
Manuel Valls: The Man to Remake France
France’s new prime minister could herald significant changes in Europe’s economic landscape.
April 1, 2014
The Need for Hard Diplomacy
The need for professional diplomacy has never been greater, even in an era of softer "cultural diplomacy."
December 11, 2013
Soft Power Doesn’t Exist
A decade after "soft power" came to the fore, it is time to assess its effectiveness.
December 11, 2013
Europe’s Next Leadership: Unknown, Unelected, Unloved
Europe’s system of horse-trading to choose leaders has produced non-leadership.
November 5, 2013
The Return of Social Europe
Will Angela Merkel’s big win in the recent German elections usher in more leftist labor policy?
October 10, 2013
EU Efforts to Export Democracy East Stalled
What's next for stalled EU efforts to integrate and democratize ex-Soviet states?
September 4, 2013
Attacking Germany Won’t Create French Jobs
Is it wise for the French to display inertia on economic reforms, while hoping for the election of a new German government? The UK's former Minister for Europe weighs in.
May 6, 2013
UK Tories and Rishi Sunak: Revenge for the Empire?
If and when Rishi Sunak becomes Britain’s next Prime Minister, Europe would see its first leader of Indian parents.
January 30, 2022
Eric Zemmour: Hijacking Beethoven
How Eric Zemmour, a right-wing candidate for president in France, abuses the legacy of Ludwig van Beethoven for electoral purposes.
December 22, 2021
Eric Zemmour: France’s New Elitist-Extremist Menace
In next year’s presidential election, will France retreat from reason and science to embrace radical politics?
December 1, 2021
After Brexit: How Poland Replaces the UK
The EU-related obstinacy of Poland’s governing party is rooted not just in the desire to rewrite their own country’s post-war history, or even Europe’s. It is all a big-time deflection maneuver.
October 29, 2021
The U.K. in the 1970s and Today: Déja Vu All Over Again
We had rising inflation and unemployment. Same today.
October 19, 2021
Britain’s Future: Back to the Stone Age
Boris Johnson’s Brexit maneuver is backfiring on store shelves and crippling the country’s logistics. But the British PM is a master of cynical, but well-timed distractions.
September 30, 2021
Sankt Angela of Europe?
As the long-time German chancellor completes her last term in office, it isn’t just her own center-right party that is struggling at the polls.
September 20, 2021
Boris Johnson: Just blame the French!
The British Prime Minister resorts to an age-old political ploy of UK politics, blaming the French.
July 21, 2021
Johnson’s and Macron’s Uncertain Political Futures
Underneath the clichés of the eternal rivalry between France and England, Boris Johnson and Emmanuel Macron are closer than most people would believe.
June 22, 2021
May Day, May Day: What About Trade Unions?
A dues paying union member all my life, still proud to carry my union card, today I cannot see worker power anywhere in the world. No wonder political parties of the left are waning.
May 1, 2021
Vaccine Diplomacy: COVID and the Return of Soft Power
Pandemic diplomacy as a foreign policy tool – from Western powers to the UAE.
April 30, 2021
China Vs. the West: An Epic Global Battle Is Brewing
Could Magnitsky-style social media campaigns challenge authoritarians like Putin and Xi?
March 29, 2021
Harry’s and Meghan’s Clever Commonwealth Ploy
The Oprah Winfrey interview lights a fire that is consuming the British royals.
March 10, 2021
Joe Biden: The Last of the 1968 Generation
The long march of the 1968 generation through politics is coming to its end. Biden is the big exception. He will be 1968er’s last hurrah.
November 11, 2020
Swiss Hold Second Referendum and Say Yes to Europe
The Brexit virus refuses to cross the Channel.
September 28, 2020
How to Handle the Evolution of Belarus
The West should support democracy in Belarus, but avoid provocative promises.
August 19, 2020
25 Years After Srebrenica: No Peace or Reconciliation in West Balkans
Imagine it is 1970 -- and still there is no peace or reconciliation between France and Germany. Fast forward to the present and consider the situation in the West Balkans.
July 11, 2020
Do Black Nations Matter in Brussels?
Even the biggest supporter of the EU at times has to pause and ask why it is so keen on double standards. It blacklists poor African countries for money laundering, not rich countries.
June 12, 2020
COVID 19 and the Marshall Plan Illusion
Why the Marshall Plan would be turned down by today’s European leaders.
April 22, 2020
Steve Bannon: Failed Crusader
What happened to Steve Bannon’s crusade to conquer Europe with nationalist anti-immigrant Trump clones?
September 3, 2019
Macron’s Grand Design: The Russia-Iran Deal for Trump
Macron seems to be prepping a tempting offer: How about letting Russia back into the G8 (as Trump wants), in exchange for Trump cooling his fire on Iran?
August 27, 2019
Ukraine’s Elections Repudiate Oligarchs, Putin
A more prosperous Ukraine —where good money from legal economic activity drives out bad money from corruption and illegal trading — will worry Putin.
July 22, 2019
Germany’s SPD on the War Path Against von der Leyen
Why MEPs should avoid small-minded, backbiting politics as they elect the EU Commission President.
July 12, 2019
With 15 EU “Spitzenkandidaten” — Whom to Choose?
The system to select the new Commission President may have been well-intentioned, but it remains the private plaything of Brussels insiders with little contact to European citizens.
May 17, 2019
Brexit Devours Its Children
Tory anti-Europeanism ended Margaret Thatcher, John Major, David Cameron and Theresa May. Who’s next?
March 28, 2019
Macron at the Barricades
Is it all downhill for President Macron from here on out? The early political fortunes of two other major Western reform politicians – Margaret Thatcher and Bill Clinton – should provide comfort.
February 19, 2019
Venezuela: A Rare Case of Turkish-Greek Harmony
Why is Greece supporting a dictatorship in Venezuela that is as bad as the Colonels’ Junta that ruled Greece from 1967 to 1974?
January 29, 2019
Greece’s Alexis Tsipras: A Remarkably Solid Politician
Alexis Tsipras admired Hugo Chavez. Then he became Greece’s Prime Minister. Now, he’s Washington’s good friend.
October 18, 2018
Must Germany Have Yet One More Top Job in Europe?
A German as head of the European Commission? If this is unstoppable, leave the German man who is lined up for the post in Berlin. Instead, send a powerful German woman to Brussels.
August 25, 2018
Macron: Now What?
There is a massive opening for France and Macron in Europe which no French president since Mitterrand 25 years ago has been able to seize.
September 22, 2017
Theresa May, Xenophobe: The Political Utility of the EU
Theresa May has long been obsessed with immigration. On that issue, she has managed to connect with some UK voters.
June 7, 2017
Angela Merkel and the 10-Year Rule
If there is an iron law of European politics, it is for leaders to get out at the top as the ten-year rule completes its cycle.
October 30, 2015
Tsipras: A Turnaround Artist?
Greek prime minister's U-Turn shows politics dominates economics.
July 10, 2015
David Cameron and Europe: On the Road to Damascus
Cameron’s problem is not about the EU, but about Britain and the future path of his own party.
June 12, 2015
The European Union as a Foreign Policy Weakling
Does the EU lack the will to deal with its eastern “partners” at Riga?
May 21, 2015
Grexit and Brexit: Some Stunning Parallels
Both Greece and Britain could face referendums that would change their place in Europe.
May 14, 2015
David Cameron, the Minimalist
Cameron has set the barrier for the EU so low even Jean-Claude Juncker could hop over it.
May 14, 2015
May 8, 1945: Beyond the Unconditional Surrender of German Forces
The ominous date also marks the beginning of violence and occupation in Algeria, Greece and Eastern Europe.
May 8, 2015
10 Things They Won’t Tell You about the British Election
The upcoming election is the strangest in recent British political history.
May 7, 2015
Brexit Looming? Will Britain Leave the EU?
It would be a geo-economic-political moment without parallel in the democratic world since 1945.
May 5, 2015
The Western Balkans: Europe’s Forgotten Region
The Balkans are still posed to plague the 21st century.
March 22, 2015
Where Is David Cameron?
Exploring Britain’s disappearance as a geopolitical player.
February 17, 2015
Greece Week 3: It’s Politics, Stupid
Syriza must learn how to play politics in Europe if it wants to stay in power.
February 8, 2015
Greece Versus Europe: Week One
Strategic reflections on the first week of Europe’s biggest drama.
February 2, 2015
Europe’s Eager Islamism Understanders
After more than 25 years of Islamist killings in Europe, isn’t it time to stop blaming Israel or George W. Bush?
January 18, 2015
2015: The Year of All Elections for Europe?
Voters from Greece to Britain may finally decide if the EU will survive.
December 30, 2014
Britain’s Christmas Gift to Putin
Cameron commits a shocking diplomatic mistake and loses yet another European ally.
December 6, 2014
Cameron To Europe: Don’t Come Here Unless You Have a Job
The UK Prime Minister also wants you to leave your spouse at home.
November 28, 2014
13 Facts about Winston Churchill
The remarkable downsides of Britain's most famous leader.
November 24, 2014
Winston Churchill: Hagiography Versus History
Churchill is hero, not history, and Britain still lives under his shadow.
November 23, 2014
Romania: The German Factor and a Continental Pattern
The election in Romania shows how Europe grows together – quietly.
November 18, 2014
Time for Greece to Lead on Kosovo
Can the new EU foreign affairs chief, Frederica Mogherini, move forward on the semi-frozen conflicts of the Western Balkans?
November 9, 2014
Juncker’s Confidential Letter to Europe’s Leaders
A Globalist Exclusive: What the Juncker Commission needs from EU leaders for its mission to succeed.
October 31, 2014
Britain’s Conservatives: Independence Yes, Human Rights No
British Conservatives would rather discard the European Court of Human Rights than remain members of the EU.
October 3, 2014
The UK’s Problems Have Just Begun
Far from settling everything, the Scottish vote has opened everything up.
September 19, 2014
Mr. Juncker’s New Commission: Good for Europe’s Future?
The new EU Commission looks good, but national governments remain in charge in Europe.
September 12, 2014
Scotland’s Exit: An Earthquake for Britain
London has already lost in the fight for Scottish independence.
September 8, 2014
Mr. Tusk and Europe’s New Leadership
The effect may be to tilt Poland to the right creating a UK-Polish spoiler alliance in the EU.
September 1, 2014
London-grad: British Capital Under Russian Influence
Britain looks to move away from Russia, but London stands in the way.
August 11, 2014
War Crimes: How to Get Justice?
What are the lessons to be learned from the stalemate in Kosovo?
August 2, 2014
Message to France: “Reform or Drop Dead”
France's Prime Minister Valls urges his fellow citizens to reform.
July 7, 2014
Preventing Juncker: Cameron’s Self-Defeatist Move
Why is Britain's prime minister opposing the European Commission head who is most favorable to the UK's positions and interests?
June 20, 2014
European Election: Business as Usual
Claims about a watershed election are exaggerated, says the former UK Minister for Europe.
May 27, 2014
A Bulgarian to Watch Out For
Former Prime Minister Sergei Stanishev’s quiet rise toward EU power broker.
May 13, 2014
Manuel Valls: The Man to Remake France
France’s new prime minister could herald significant changes in Europe’s economic landscape.
April 1, 2014
The Need for Hard Diplomacy
The need for professional diplomacy has never been greater, even in an era of softer "cultural diplomacy."
December 11, 2013
Soft Power Doesn’t Exist
A decade after "soft power" came to the fore, it is time to assess its effectiveness.
December 11, 2013
Europe’s Next Leadership: Unknown, Unelected, Unloved
Europe’s system of horse-trading to choose leaders has produced non-leadership.
November 5, 2013
The Return of Social Europe
Will Angela Merkel’s big win in the recent German elections usher in more leftist labor policy?
October 10, 2013
EU Efforts to Export Democracy East Stalled
What's next for stalled EU efforts to integrate and democratize ex-Soviet states?
September 4, 2013
Attacking Germany Won’t Create French Jobs
Is it wise for the French to display inertia on economic reforms, while hoping for the election of a new German government? The UK's former Minister for Europe weighs in.
May 6, 2013