Mea Culpa: farewell to (almost all of) continental Europe

Questions of style and usage in last week’s Independent, by John Rentoul

Between a rock and a hard Brexit: Gibraltar’s Victoria Stadium (AFP via Getty)

In a series of articles saying goodbye to the European Union, we included “The top 10 European away trips”, listing our favourite continental sporting venues. Unfortunately, the first one was the Victoria Stadium in Gibraltar. As Mick O’Hare pointed out, Gibraltar is a British Overseas Territory and is therefore no longer in the EU.

The article intended to “celebrate what we have left behind”, but, despite its 96 per cent vote to remain in the EU, we have taken Gibraltar with us.

Continuing crime: A recent comment article began: “The ongoing coronavirus outbreak in China is a reminder…” An “ongoing” not just in the first sentence, but as the second precious word with which we try to draw the reader in!