So, it’s been almost a full-year since I launched this publication, and what an absolute joy is has been to write about a topic I love, to focus my expertise and knowledge in a way that has helped thousands of you to better understand French politics, and to contribute to a better, more informed world.

With the first post being made way back in October 2021 where I covered the then ascendant Eric Zemmour, I’m very happy to see that The French Dispatch has seen a lot much more success than Zemmour did in his campaign.

In contrast to the erstwhile extremist, however, we’ve seen regular improvements from TFD which has helped to improve my work, provide better information, and allow you all to get more out of your reading experience.

However, this has also seen an increase in the amount of work that it takes to produce and publish newsletters for you lovely readers on a regular basis, as well as the amount of time that it takes to bring you the good stuff you keep coming back for.

This is why it has been necessary to make a few tweaks in my work, and means that there will be some slight changes that have already alarmed some of you.

So, first up…

💸 “This is a paid publication now???”

Firstly, no, and the confusion is partially on my head

I know that a handful of people were mildly alarmed when the first Policy Brief was published the other day on the EU’s energy situation and people saw that it was paywalled. Even a close friend of mine made the remark that it was a shame that he couldn’t read my posts anymore, and was relieved to know that he can keep enjoying what I write.

So, to make it absolutely clear, I’m going to go on the record and say that while The French Dispatch is not going fully paid, a part of it will.

The unfortunately reality is that running a publication like this, especially one that has with a sizeable and rapidly growing following of regular readers, is something that takes a lot of work and a lot of time.

While it has been mostly free up until now, with many of you being incredibly kind and sending me Ko-Fi’s and taking on paid subscriptions to support my work, this isn’t sustainable over the long-term and is more likely to end in some kind of burn-out.

So, in order to help fund the work I do, cover any equipment/software purchases I may need for this and to fund a never-ending stream of espressos, gaulois and Bordeaux to keep me going, a portion of the Dispatch will now be exclusive to paid subscribers who support the dispatch with paid subscriptions which is currently set to €5.

The majority of the publication will remain in free-access, but even if you’re not interested in the briefs, any and all support is welcome and will help to keep the truck rolling, and help to keep the premium content rolling in your direction.

I’m also looking into setting up several other benefits, which may or may not include a premium community portal run over Discord or Slack, and potentially even discussion groups on what is going in France, Europe, and the world.

Like these ideas? Comment below and let me know what you think.

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🏗 The New Structure

As a result of the above, I’m aiming to set a new timetable for The French Dispatch:

• Tuesday/Wednesday - Analytical article on current events / Interviews

• Friday/Saturday - The Brief

• Sunday - The Weekly Dispatch

I’ll see how it goes, and see whether any revisions are necessary, but I hope you guys will appreciate the increase in content, and I hope you guys will continue to support the French Dispatch in whatever ways you can.

Of course, aside from the above, sharing this with any of your friends, family members, colleagues, and enemies will go a long way to continuing to develop this newsletter and helping to better inform everyone on the crazy world of French and European politics.

I’d also like to encouraging more contributors to come forward if they have anything that they would like to cover. Slide into my DMs on Twitter, message me on Facebook, email me, or comment on Substack.

Thank you for reading the French Dispatch! If you liked what you read please don’t hesitate to subscribe by clicking/tapping the button below:

And if you’d like to contribute a coffee or two to help fuel my coverage of the wild world of politics, feel free to click on the picture below: