With the departure of Jim Newell, founding editor of European Political Science (EPS), this journal can be said to have come of age. Jim was editor of the old ECPR News when it was decided to transform it from the trade magazine of ECPR Members into a fully fledged professional journal for all of Europe's political scientists and he was the sole editor of the first issue – the lone helmsman, so to speak – published in-house by the ECPR with the able assistance of Rebecca Knappett. Subsequently, he was joined by Martin Rhodes with editorial support supplied by Jackie Gordon at the EUI in Florence. However, the no-longer-lone helmsman did not allow himself to become an armchair editor. At that time EPS was establishing its characteristic profile and needed to establish contacts and awareness across the profession. Nothing less than a Stakhanovite was required and in Jim, with his abundant energy, attention to detail, extraordinary stamina and an occasional tendency to be militant, EPS found its Stakhanov. It is probably true to say that if the chronology were reversed, observers of the remarkable labours of a certain coal miner in 1930s Russia might have been overheard to exclaim ‘But look at this member of the Newellite tendency who is working so hard for the common good!’. It is also true to say that such people can occasionally appear as monsters to their co-workers so it is a relief to be able to report that as well possessing Stakhanovite diligence, Jim was also a paragon of modesty and the bearer of a very English sense of courtesy, which made him a pleasure to work with. He is one of the longest serving of all ECPR editors and it has proved necessary to replace him with two co-editors and one associate editor, who are already awed at the size of the task ahead of them. Such energy could not be allowed to dissipate or disappear so we are delighted to announce that Jim, far from sharing the fate of Boxer (the Stakhanovite horse in Orwell's Animal Farm who is consigned by Napoleon to the knacker's yard), has undertaken the challenge of editing (along with Maurizio Carbone) the Bulletin of Italian Politics, which is already an excellent resource for those wishing to stay informed about an always fascinating country.

Thanks to the pioneering work of Jim, Martin, Rebecca and Jackie, EPS had reached a stage in the mid-2000s where it could be brought to a commercial publisher and launched globally. An annual reviews issue was added to give Europe's political scientists a Christmas break from professional matters and something to read during the long Arctic night or on the beaches of southern Spain. The rest of the journal was devoted entirely to professional concerns, a not entirely typical approach for a scientific journal, so it was considered a good idea to provide an accompanying editorial which proved a valuable instrument for explaining the rationale behind such a novel venture. However, by now EPS has attained its majority, boasts a wide readership among its target audience and has also been included on the list of journals indexed by the Thompson Scientific's Web of Knowledge, perhaps better known to some under the name of one of its components, the Social Sciences Citation Index.

While in no way abandoning the journal's mission to explain and inform, the editors feel that it is no longer really necessary for each issue to have an obligatory editorial although they will keep the possibility in reserve when necessary. As the English satirical magazine, Private Eye, might phrase it: (that's enough editorials. Ed.).

This editorial will self-destruct in the next fifteen seconds …