Dominic Lawson



Profile:
Full name: Dominic Ralph Campden Lawson

Area of interest: Politics, Society

Journals: The Independent, The Sunday Times

Email: [mailto:d.lawson@independent.co.uk d.lawson@independent.co.uk]

Website: Independent/Commentators | TimesOnline

Blog:

Representation:

Networks:



Biography:
Education: Westminster School; Christ Church, Oxford: politics, philosophy and economics

Career: BBC: researcher; Financial Times: energy correspondent, Lex column(ist) (won the Wincott Award); The Spectator: editor, 1990/1995; The Sunday Telegraph: editor, 1995/2005; The Independent: editorial writer and columnist, 2006- also see:
 * Profile: Dominic Lawson, The Guardian, 14th June 2005
 * Telegraph owners fire Lawson, The Guardian, 15th June 2005

Current position/role: The Independent and The Sunday Times: Columnist


 * also writes/has written for: Daily Mail

Other roles: The Sunday Times: contributes book reviews and interviews

Other activities:

Disclosures:

Viewpoints/Insight: BBC News: Curriculum Vitae: Dominic Lawson

TV/Radio:

Controversy/Criticism:
 * Magazine of the Right That Tripped Up a Tory, Deborah Stead, New York Times, 19th July 1990 (interview with Nicholas Ridley that led to the cabinet minister's resignation over remarks about Germany and the EU)
 * Editor 'provided cover for spies', Ian Traynor & Richard Norton-Taylor, The Guardian, 26th January 2001 (accussed, while editor of The Spectator, of assisting MI6)

Awards/Honours: Wincott Award winner at the Financial Times

Other: Son of former Tory Chancellor of the Exchequer, Nigel Lawson; Cousin of George Monbiot and solicitor Fiona Shackleton



Books & Debate:

 * End Game: Kasparov vs. Short (1994) ISBN 0517-59810-8
 * The inner game (2008) ISBN 1-843-82137-0

Latest work:

Speaking/Appearances:

Current debate: 

The Independent:
Column remit: Political and social issues

Section:

Role: Commentators

Pen-name:

Email: [mailto:d.lawson@independent.co.uk d.lawson@independent.co.uk]

Website: Independent.co / Dominic Lawson

Commissioning editor:

Day published: Tuesday and Friday

Regularity: Twice-weekly

Column format:

Average length:



Articles: 2011

 * proposal for the benefit of the elderly'' - A Trollope novel imagines compulsory euthanasia at the age of 67 - 28th June
 * not about money. It's about work'' - For the mentally disabled work can bring not just a sense of having a purpose and a role, but an end to profound loneliness - 23rd June
 * the disabled fear assisted suicide'' - Not everyone will pay the fees to keep an elderly relative in a care-home - 14th June
 * private sector Oxbridge? Not exactly'' - Students in this country lack "face-time" with teaching staff - 7th June
 * bribery the name of the game?'' - It makes no sense to call on the British Government to 'do something' about Fifa - 31st May
 * Poundland in Windsor?'' - Opening a store here is much less paradoxical than it seems - 24th May
 * 'eye for an eye' is proper justice'' - The idea of retributive justice still has a hold on the sentiments of the public - 17th May
 * the Twitter era, privacy is dead'' - There is a public interest in not printing these stories about unfaithful footballers - 10th May
 * fight against diseases from malaria to typhoid is harmed by snake-oil pushers'' - There have been many snake oil salesmen purveying cures for Aids but to find their activities backed by UK charities may be a first - 3rd May
 * yes, or no – it will barely matter'' - Those who say that AV will 'end politics as usual' are fantasising, or conning us - 3rd May
 * you worried about memory loss? Join the club'' - With the whole world of knowledge so readily available at the click of a mouse, we decreasingly need to make the effort to remember - 19th April
 * figures don't stop being human'' - My sister copes by deciding that the person being written about is not her - 12th April
 * is Labour's empty insult'' - Labour's assault on Conservative 'ideology' could be a form of jealousy - 5th April
 * a pity the majority remain silent'' - If there had been competing marches based on opinion polls, the TUC's 250,000 might have met a crowd of 400,000 - 29th March
 * public spending 'massacre' is a lie'' - It's not 'anti-growth' to divert money from the civil servant to the shopkeeper - 22nd March
 * case for offending the public'' - Row upon row of blue body bags were deemed too offensive to show - 15th March
 * haven't got us over a barrel at all'' - Why must an uprising against the Saudi monarchy mean a drop in oil production? - 8th March
 * who somehow end up winning'' - In all countries there are people who are expert at attaining and keeping power - 1st March
 * Libyan stain on Britain's reputation'' - No surprise that Gaddafi brought force against internal opponents - 22nd February
 * University Debate: We must not open the doors to all'' - Why are we trying to create quotas for access to higher education via political meddling, asks Dominic Lawson. In the second part of our debate, he argues that while it may not be malicious, it is stupid - 15th February (Part 1)
 * true champion won't accept defeat'' - Murray moved like a loser. He winced with an impression of pain - 1st February
 * do we believe there's virtue in our choice of food?'' - Because thinness is seen to be beautiful, dieting has become a form of self-sacrifice - 25th January
 * population timebomb is a myth'' - Experts coming to the view it has all been one giant false alarm - 18th January
 * mothers... a lesson to us all'' - Amy Chua's theories seem to bear fruit. But they run counter to the doctrine of modern Western parenting - 11th January
 * not have a return to renting?'' - If Grant Shapps's aim is to end the obsession with owning property, he should worry less about how people get on the ladder - 4th January



Articles: 2010

 * climate deal that flatters to deceive'' - Cancun made no advance on the vapid pledges of Copenhagen - 14th December
 * you're scared of Jaws, don't swim'' - Having avoided being blown up, why tempt fate by swimming in Shark Bay? - 7th December
 * wuz robbed of our foolish faith in victory'' - English football obsessives seem unprepared to consider the possibility of defeat and are therefore always convinced that such a result is grossly unjust - 4th December
 * is gold dust for diplomats'' - The best information will be ignored if the recipient does not want to believe it - 30th November
 * Osborne and the Irish bailout'' - It must be galling for the Irish to be relying on the Brits for a lifeline - 23rd November
 * honest is no longer official policy'' - Now Phil Woolas has been banned from parliament for lying on his election leaflets, I suppose the Liberal Democrat MPs who vote for increasing university fees will all be chucked out as well - 17th November
 * a window, lose the argument'' - Liberation movements based on brute force are corrupted by the experience - 16th November
 * the Germans can teach America'' - Germany will side with China in accusing the US of debasing the dollar - 9th November
 * is one thing, bullying another'' - The officer rang easyJet and told them not to allow my father on the plane, lying that he had 'not passed through security' - 2nd November
 * parallel morality for celebrities'' - Fame does not transform crass behaviour into something marvellous - 19th October
 * far must we go to appease envy?'' - On this proposition, supermodels should pay super-tax - 12th October
 * a schoolchild. How hilarious'' - Richard Curtis's film will hang round his neck like a stinking fish - 5th October
 * really is to blame'' - The real cause of so much abuse of children is the breakdown of family life - 28th September
 * Benedict... an apology'' - I suspect it is precisely the unpolitical nature of Pope Benedict that gives him a certain popular appeal - 21st September
 * and poor agree on cutting taxes'' - Those most dependent on public services that know their inefficiencies - 14th September
 * every airport tale is bad'' - If you are going to lose your passport, Amsterdam is the place to do it - 7th September
 * has never been just cricket'' - Many players see the game as simply a way of earning a crust - 31st August
 * learn from your sisters'' - Numbers of places at good universities going to middle-class ladies are soaring - 24th August
 * sin of the rich is to seem happy'' - Verily, it is said, no good deed goes unpunished - 10th August
 * banks are doing a good job'' - Osborne believes private sector growth will replace public-sector employment - 3rd August
 * we tax cars, then why not cattle?'' - When world leaders talk about climate change, vegetarianism never crops up - 20th July
 * you are about to be dazzled by a flash minister'' - If Mandelson's memoirs only now tell the truth, how does the media deal with political reporting that often proves bogus? - 16th July
 * not control, is the answer'' - As Africans become more affluent they would tend to have smaller families - 13th July
 * salaries bring out the stalker in us'' - Even high-earners at the Corporation have a right to privacy - 6th July
 * lesson from the Napoleonic Wars'' - When public expenditure is cut, the consequence is highly visible - 29th June
 * isn't cutting for the fun of it'' - There's an inherent absurdity in the repeated assertions by Labour that the Conservatives are actually relishing what they are about to do - 22nd June
 * isn't anti-British. Or anti-oil'' - BP's chairman has been allocated the role of sacrificial offering to the gods - 15th June
 * can't have it both ways'' - Our service and financial sectors have been successful over a sustained period - 1st June
 * me lectures from deluded actors'' - Jeremy Irons is the standard-bearer for all eternal misanthropes - 25th May
 * such a big spill after all'' - Oil companies have as much concern for humankind as their critics - 18th May
 * and Liberals are not unnatural bedfellows'' - ... not now the Lib Dems aren't led by Charlie Kennedy - 11th May
 * curse of the 24-hour news agenda'' - As one battle-weary civil servant said to me: 'If you want to send a message, write a letter; laws are too important to be used as a form of advertising' - 4th May
 * curse of the Bullingdon Club'' - The middle class is so much part of the identity of Mr Cameron's party - 27th April
 * Pope is vilified, Polanski indulged'' - I had always imagined that it was people who raped children, not organisations - 20th April
 * public want honesty, but not when it comes to their taxes'' - It is a myth that Churchill's 'blood, toil and tears' speech was welcome to the British - 13th April
 * Mandelson makes the case for Divine Right'' - New Labour has amply demonstrated its unfitness for office over a dozen years - 6th April
 * wasn't wishy-washyness that helped the Tories in 1979'' - It's not enough for Cameron to be the anybody-but-Gordon candidate - 30th March
 * Law for detecting hypocrisy'' - I wonder if Labour MPs are less generous than their Tory rivals - 23rd March
 * are for the pollsters, not the public'' - An election campaign free of opinion polls would be marvellous - 16th March
 * deserve better than this'' - It is depressingly easy to imagine how this initiative got forgotten - 9th March
 * success of faith schools'' - An accumulated educational wisdom lies at the heart of many of these schools - 2nd March
 * should be praying to lose this election'' - Then Brown would be the victim of his own excessive spending - 23rd February
 * can the state support homeopathy?'' - It's terrifying what chemists recommend when asked for 'a natural remedy' - 9th February
 * all these climate revelations were a dastardly foreign plot'' - It hasn't occurred to King that the emails might have been leaked by an insider - 2nd February
 * dependent life need not be a pointless life'' - Other people's sympathies are with Frances Inglis. Mine are with her son - 26th January
 * class war when all MPs belong to an elite'' - Outside Westminster Balls would seem indistinguishable from Cameron - 19th January
 * police would rather advise us than protect us'' - Had Mr Singh dialled 999, does anyone believe the muggers would've been caught? - 12th January
 * we are all under suspicion, then we are all threatened'' - People meekly accept official behaviour - 5th January



Articles: 2009

 * forget that Jesus was Jewish'' -Jews do not come knocking on your door like some Christian evangelicals - 22nd December
 * up for the great emissions-fest'' - Do world leaders believe what they say about the imminence of disaster? - 8th December
 * exactly should Cadbury stay British?'' - Britain has gained not lost by being open to foreign capital investment - 1st December
 * will always be a foreign land for the British'' - 'The Continent' is what we called it, with the understanding we were not of it - 24th November
 * stand up for Michael McIntyre'' - Luvvie-land has long had contempt for bourgeois values - 17th November
 * only options are to double up in Afghanistan or leave'' - At a risk of sounding callous, the number of casualties is actually small - 10th November
 * thirst for power led to this confusion over drugs'' - How many MPs would have criminal records if police had found them smoking drugs? - 3rd November
 * Carr and the pomposity of outrage'' - MPs have been quick to join in the confection of fury over a comedian's joke - 27th October
 * prison will deter thugs'' - We imprison just 12 people for every 1,000 crimes, compared to 33 in Ireland - 20th October
 * another phoney war: the one on climate change'' - There's no glory in spending $10m a year on giant nozzles that squirt sulphur dioxide - 13th October
 * gets her taxes in a twist'' - Few bleats are less attractive than threats by the rich to quit the country - 6th October
 * not forget what Polanski did'' - The film director has been treated with extraordinary indulgence - 29th September
 * game shows? Rubbish'' - Why must the BBC to wage war against ITV, or indeed Sky? - 22nd September
 * Clark was not 'wonderful'. He was sleazy and cruel'' - The diarist and Tory minister made his wife wretchedly miserable - 15th September
 * are still appeasing dictators'' - In dealing with Libya the Foreign Office has been guilty of institutional cringe - 8th September
 * Megrahi deal is justice, then we're all bananas'' - As ever, New Labour is obsessed with politics before government - 1st September
 * silence over Lockerbie'' - The Prime Minster's response underlines the absurdity of the entire episode - 25th August
 * not Oxbridge's fault if state school pupils don't apply'' - The perils of reverse class discrimination - 11th August
 * new breed of England cricket fan'' - There is no fun in being within several counties of the 'Barmy Army' - 4th August
 * it's 'Not Now, Minister''' - Demoralisation of the civil service has evolved rapidly into treachery - 21st July
 * West's aid to Africa does nothing but ease its conscience'' - I do wish Cameron would break with the policy of oiling up to rock stars like Bono - 14th July
 * dignity and the darker side of family dynamics'' - Many of the 114 British 'clients' of Dignitas were not suffering terminal illness at all - 7th July
 * wrong with MPs having jobs outside Parliament?'' - Mr Brown genuinely believes that a full-time political class is a good thing - 30th June
 * rage to succeed, not talent, is the mark of sporting greatness'' - Andy Murray might come across as 'uncultured', but he has a furnace of a mind - 23rd June
 * system of justice is lethal'' - How can it be possible for one probation officer to handle 60 "clients" at once? - 16th June
 * bleating and hold an election'' - It is not about better governance. It is all about Labour MPs keeping their jobs - 9th June
 * should be more like a gentlemen's club, not less'' - There's a form of subliminal class-based attack that Brown persists in delivering - 2nd June
 * us from the popular will'' - It is the opposite of parliamentary democracy - 26th May
 * liberals advocate torture'' - The CIA employed waterboarding under the pretence that is was 'not torture' - 19th May
 * is not the corruption that galls – it is the sheer pettiness'' - These are the petty acts of spongeing by inconsequential people - 12th May
 * social workers is no answer'' - What no one seems willing to discuss is the real horror of the Baby P case - 5th May
 * taxes will drive businesses abroad'' - I was in the Commons when my father removed the old higher rate - 28th April
 * doesn't need Shakespeare to tell us what Brown's fate is'' - The PM is well cast as the tragic flawed figure at the heart of 'The Scottish Play' - 21st April
 * is the victim of his licensed assassins'' - Brown’s courtiers never, ever, employ arguments of substance - 14th April
 * not the rich we hate, but those enriched at our expense'' - In a boom, envy; in a bust, anger - 7th April
 * are like bankers...'' - ... they love spending other people's money - 31st March
 * done to our women cricketers'' - Just don't ask me to watch them... - 24th March
 * an apology helpful?'' - The non-denial denial has become a familiar weapon in the politician's armoury of deception - 17th March
 * need a villain – and Sir Fred is it'' - This need not have happened if the Government had paid more attention - 3rd March
 * not fall for these ‘green’ credentials'' - Why should the British tax-payer throw money in Mr Deripaska's cap? - 24th February
 * sorry tale of Scottish shame – and English tolerance'' - Gargantuan folly has occurred North of the Border. And who is paying the costs? - 18th February
 * shame and English tolerance'' - Gargantuan folly has occurred North of the Border. And who is paying the costs? - 17th February
 * are a political issue, not a moral one'' - Don't pretend that rewards are a matter of virtue, not profit - 10th February
 * roots in socialism'' - Solidarity with foreign labour has always been a difficult sell - 3rd February
 * warily, when charities turn political'' - Christian Aid can no longer be considered an honest broker - 27th January
 * blame computers for this crisis'' - Electronic calculation is not the same as wisdom - 20th January
 * Harry and political cowardice'' - One oleaginous creep accuses him of being like Bernard Manning - 13th January



Articles: 2008

 * Bishops' moral cowardice'' - The Church Commissioners sold a mortgage portfolio for £135m last year - 30th December 2008
 * rich people lack... even more money'' - Most of us would be content with £873m. Not the likes of David Ross - 16th December 2008
 * is worthless'' - The EU has claimed success while increasing emissions by 13 per cent - 9th Dcember 2008
 * 'life' should mean life'' - Sometimes the public feel the perpetrator should not be released - 2nd December 2008
 * on the doctors prejudiced against Down Syndrome'' - The medical profession has a visceral bias in favour of eugenic termination - 25th November 2008
 * a divine spark to genius as well as hard graft'' - When it comes to the example of chess, Malcolm Gladwell is behind the curve - 18th November 2008
 * racism of our adoption rules'' - This dead-end ideology still holds white social workers in thrall - 11th November 2008
 * French find our obsessions ridiculous'' - Comedians' taboo tackling has been pushed beyond reason - 4th November 2008
 * election player has been overlooked: Osama bin Laden'' - Democratic Party supporters are still all-a-quiver with anxiety - 24th October 2008
 * is not enough, Mr Darling'' - We need a bonfire of planning regulations - 21st October 2008
 * pension divide: which side are you on?'' - Until recently many in the private sector felt relaxed about their retirement. Not now - 17th October 2008
 * should not have left the gold standard'' - The Bullion Vault in London reports a 'phenomenal' interest in its product - 14th October 2008
 * bank on the Government'' - Brown said that a bust could never happen under his bespoke system of regulation - 10th October 2008
 * schools that simply do not believe in failure'' - There is an unholy alliance against academies, with their high expectations, of the old left in teaching unions and some thinkers on the right - 7th October 2008
 * fingerprints are all over the financial crisis'' - The least well off are going to face the most stringent terms for mortgages - 3rd October 2008
 * should anyone trust Joe Biden?'' - The Democrats' candidate for VP doesn't deserve to be called a sage - 30th September 2008
 * borrowers must take their share of the blame too'' - 26th September 2008
 * we go again: another dirty fight'' - The 2008 race been conducted with the same level of abuse as tradition demands - 23rd September 2008
 * hints for saving the world'' - 'I do love my kids, but not a day passes when I don't tell them what a burden they are to the planet' - 19th September 2008
 * simple lesson in humanity'' - Every person with disabilities is defined – like all of us – by unique personalities and aspirations - 17th September 2008
 * complain about private schools. Learn from them'' - Within state education, political prejudices are being put before the academic interest of pupils - 12th September 2008
 * 'babe' has floored the left'' - Sarah Palin could yet reveal herself the Bible-bashing bimbo of her critics' imagination, but I doubt it - 9th September 2008
 * to squeeze the Russians'' - 'Can we suggest, Prime Minister, that you announce a public inquest into the murder of Mr Litvinenko?' - 5th September 2008
 * Palin is a natural born winner'' - Sarah Palin is certainly adding plenty of fuel to the somewhat depleted McCain rocket, and not just because she is a woman – the same sex, or so we have been reliably informed, as Hillary Clinton - 2nd September 2008
 * believe obesity figures – they're spun for a purpose'' - 29th August 2008
 * Prince is entitled to his views – but not his ignorance'' - It's shocking to hear this millionaire Gloucestershire farmer denounce the 'Green Revolution' in India - 15th August 2008
 * Can Obama hope to win if he lacks the common touch?'' - 12th August 2008
 * you think China is a police state, just look at us in Britain'' - Friday, 8th August 2008
 * The clash of civilisations at Beijing - It was inevitable that the more the Games drew near, the more difficult it would be to make a fuss - Friday, 1st August 2008
 * These MPs only really care about one thing... their jobs - The public could be forgiven for seeing the fight as having nothing at all to do with their own lives - Tuesday, 29th July 2008
 * We should have no reason to be surprised when a doctor turns out to be a murderer - Friday, 25th July 2008
 * The hypocrisy of the population zealots - The control freaks have been skilful in adopting the political concerns of the day to their cause - Tuesday, 15th July 2008
 * He'd never credit her, but Cameron is sounding more and more like Mrs Thatcher - Friday, 11th July 2008
 * I'm sorry, but Brown is talking rubbish - Tuesday, 8th July 2008
 * Tories used to condemn the politics of envy. Now they're seeing it from the other side - Friday, 4th July 2008
 * Meet the new Obama, master of the U-turn - Some of those most captivated by the Democrat candidate are now feeling distinctly queasy - Tuesday, 1st July 2008
 * This child protection hysteria deflects attention from a real, and growing, danger - Friday, 27th June 2008
 * So now we will have degrees in quackery - What, really, is the difference between acupuncture and psychic surgery? - Tuesday, 24th June 2008
 * This is more than a political knock-about – it's the inexcusable smearing of an opponent - Friday, 20th June 2008
 * The sheer hypocrisy of this debate on oil - The developing countries have a policy of subsidising the price – and on a vast scale - Tuesday, 17th June 2008
 * Why should Democratic Unionists hold us to ransom? - Friday, 13th June 2008
 * The triumph of strategy over decency - One of the ruling principles of New Labour is never to be outflanked on security issues - Tuesday, 10th June 2008
 * Don't blame free trade for food price rises - Friday, 6th June 2008
 * We all want to protect children from sexual abuse – but this is an intrusion too far - Friday, 30th May 2008
 * We're hiding from the truth: eugenics lives on - Rights imputed to all 'viable' unborn children are withdrawn if the child is not... normal''] - Tuesday, 27th May 2008
 * Mr Brown can try to blame this crisis on Opec, but the real fault lies with his own tax policy - Friday, 23rd May 2008
 * The best population policy is to have none - The humane approach is to let each family, in every country, choose its own fertility rates - Tuesday, 20th May 2008
 * He appears to have robotic self-discipline. But inside, Brown is a ferment of emotion - Friday, 16th May 2008
 * Will we never escape class in this country? - The greatest victims of egalitarianism have been the least well-off not the wealthiest - Tuesday, 13th may 2008
 * I leave Israel with the sinking feeling that hopes of a final settlement are receding - Friday, 9th May 2008
 * There are no lessons to be learned from the Fritzl case – it remains simply inexplicable - Friday, 2nd May 2008
 * Back with a vengeance... the politics of envy - As incomes across the board begin to feel the squeeze, things could really get nasty - Tuesday, 29th April 2008
 * If you want to see a display of pure political courage, then John McCain is your man - Friday, 25th April 2008
 * The staggering cost of renewable energy - The commitment will lead to an increase of about 40 per cent in annual electricity bills - Tuesday, 22nd April 2008
 * Feed the world? Tear down trade barriers and let GM crops flourish across the globe - Friday, 18th April 2008
 * Postcards from the edge of travel-writing - Tuesday, 15th April 2008
 * As they tackle climate change, governments are starving the people they set out to help - Friday, 11th April 2008
 * Beijing is the right place for the Olympics - Tuesday, 8th April 2008
 * The only conspiracy over Diana's death was Fayed's bid to manipulate the British public - Friday, 4th April 2008
 * Food miles are just a form of protectionism - Tuesday, 1st April 2008
 * When Hillary Clinton tells such obvious mistruths, she exposes herself as a fantasist - Friday, 28th March 2008
 * Why China might have Olympic regrets - Tuesday, 25th March 2008
 * Murray Walker might be excited, but why should we care if the BBC has Formula One? - Friday, 21st March 2008
 * You can't keep race out of US politics - Tuesday, 18th March 2008
 * This is a Government which doesn't really believe in the threat of climate change - Friday, 14th March 2008
 * Of course a deaf couple want a deaf child - Tuesday, 11th March 2008
 * You don't have to invent things or industries to become the richest man in the world - Friday, 7th March 2008
 * There's nothing new about Barack Obama - Tuesday, 4th March 2008
 * An absurd tactical ploy – and the paradox of the new Liberal Democrat leader's position - Friday, 29th February 2008
 * Obama must beware of turning into a cult - Tuesday, 26th February 2008
 * Some people can protect themselves against Mohamed Fayed's attacks. Others cannot... - Friday, 22nd February 2008
 * Bottled or tap, we drink far too much water - Tuesday, 19th February 2008
 * I cheered when the Russians said they did not want to hear Clooney's lecture on Darfur - Friday, 8th February 2008
 * Once again, MPs insult our intelligence - Tuesday, 5th February 2008
 * The lesson of Karajan: there is no connection between great art and good character - Friday, 1st February 2008
 * An old dilemma: who wants to live for ever? - Tuesday, 29th January 2008
 * Behind the mask and hype, a humiliating reverse - Friday, 25th January 2008
 * Tasteless - and with a fat chance of success - Tuesday, 22nd January 2008
 * Dead people do matter – and it is a mark of civilisation to treat their remains with respect - Friday, 18th January 2008
 * The unedifying witch-hunt against Hain - Tuesday, 15th January 2008
 * There is a simple reason Brown wants to limit wage rises: he can't afford them - Friday, 11th January 2008
 * Have the Australians been caught out? - Tuesday, 8th January 2008
 * I am glad everyone has the chance to borrow money even if some fall into terrible debt - Friday, 4th January 2008
 * If you want to know what's going to happen in 2008, there are lots of experts who can't tell you - Perhaps the best commentary on the futility of forecasting is provided by the film 'Being There' - Tuesday, 1st January 2008



The Sunday Times:
Column remit:

Section:

Role:

Pen-name:

Email:

Website:

Commissioning editor:

Day published:

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Column format:

Average length:



Articles:

 * and nurses brandish a fake halo'' - It's not just wicked bankers paying for the pensions but those on minimum wage in the private sector with no pension provision at all - 3rd July 2011
 * Commons circus of animals and clowns'' - It is one thing when children assume animals are exactly like us; it is quite another when anthropomorphism pervades adult debate - 26th June 2011
 * cuts or ruin — your choice, unions'' - If union members are not prepared to pay the market price for their pension, why should the rest of the nation’s workforce? - 19th June 2011
 * Balls – still being stuffed by his old boss'' - Few will be shocked by the Balls-Brown memoranda. Plotting and politics are like gambling and horseracing: one is never seen without the other - 12th June 2011
 * little cut stirring a war over boys’ rights'' - Those who campaign against child circumcision do have a point, but comparing it to rape or child abuse is an unwarranted exaggeration - 5th June 2011
 * green detox will take us to the cleaners'' - Hard-pressed taxpayers might be forgiven for wondering whether the cachet of moral leadership is a little too expensively acquired - 29th May 2011
 * Facebook and Google scrap, we win'' - Facebook and Google should ignore the pious pleas to behave in a dignified fashion and continue to kick lumps out of each other - 15th May 2011
 * archbishop — there is some justice'' - A number of prominent Brits have criticised the manner of Bin Laden's death. But an enemy does not have to be armed for him to be dispatched - 8th May
 * revenge is the twist in the fairy tale'' - Brown and Blair's one-upmanship with the monarchy when they were in power may have been the reason they weren't invited to the wedding - 1st May 2011
 * the happiness police are watching'' - The entire nation is being swept up into children’s party mode. The big new idea is that we must all be happy — and let the government know it - 24th April 2011
 * declare ‘bad taste’ Flintoff not out'' - It is difficult to view Freddie Flintoff’s derogatory remarks about Burnley residents as anything but good-natured buffoonery - 17th April
 * No, it’s just good parenting'' - That rhetorical stab of the attack against internships goes to the heart of the inconsistency in the coalition’s philosophy - 10th April 2011
 * quiet ones like Kusa are scariest of all'' - We have been culpable of believing that if a representative of a dictatorship is well dressed and well educated, he is really one of us - 3rd April
 * with your heads, Middleton-bashers'' - The US media frenzy over the royal wedding dwarfs even our own obsession, particularly focusing on the rise of the middle-class Middleton - 27th March 2011
 * grim choice — mire or massacre'' - The foot-dragging of the Obama administration is more understandable than some in the press would allow. No one knows how this ends - 20th March 2011
 * stayed at Epstein’s so don't hound Andrew'' - Prince Andrew has been damned for his choice of friends, but he is blessed in his enemies, like Labour MP Chris Bryant - 13th March 2011
 * bloated state gets its fuel-duty fix'' - Here is a prediction you could safely bet on: the government will not — not now, not ever — introduce its frequently touted ‘fair fuel stabiliser’ - 6th March 2011
 * blink says I’m disabled but happy to be alive'' - The view that those who suffer from neurological trauma are destined only for "misery" is not merely ignorant, it suggests that terminating these lives is an act of altruism - 27th February
 * Koo, I feel your middle-class pain'' - However difficult it may be, spare a thought for the particular pain of those whose glittering aspirations have been dashed — even Koo Stark - 20th February 2011
 * peek inside the dictator’s bubble'' - It is not only dictators who are the last to understand the truth about their own unpopularity or inability to remain in authority - 13th February 2011
 * Rich List can’t touch these guys'' - As Hosni Mubarak and Zine Ben Ali — and a host of other despots — have proved, there’s no business like kleptocracy - 6th February 2011
 * is so yesterday for Generation Google'' - I wonder what the new generation of adults think of the News of the World voicemail hacking scandal; they probably wonder what all the fuss is about - 30th January 2011
 * truth yields to the King’s speech'' - Wars are judged according to their consequences rather than their objectives or origins. This explains why Tony Blair still suffers over Iraq - 23rd January 2011
 * a little fraud for a working-class hero?'' - The Labour party politicians being charged over expenses were members of a party in government that thought the money could never run out - 16th January 2011
 * Cameron dodges the oil price paradox'' - The government is paradoxically arguing that oil must be more expensive to try and save the planet and cheaper to 'end the war on the motorist' - 9th January 2011
 * cry? It’s only a pet we’ve put down'' - Our relationships with pets are based on the delusion that we have real empathy with them. Nonetheless, they can provide emotional security - 2nd January 2011
 * Ken’s criminal claims about prison'' - Insouciance about the most fundamental issue governing the public’s safety is not especially attractive. It is also giving Downing Street conniptions - 12th December 2010
 * silent attack is taking savers for fools'' - There has not been a savers’ march on Downing Street, but expect a slow-burning fury if inflation really is the government’s big idea - 28th November 2010
 * confounds the nation’s class warriors'' - The people most disappointed by Prince William and Ms Middleton’s happy news are the nation’s class warriors, for whom this is a bitter reverse - 21st November 2010
 * is torture, Mr Bush, and it doesn’t work'' - Bush may insist that waterboarding yielded information that foiled attacks in the UK, but his claim is given little credence by Britain's security services - 14th November 2010
 * who’s afraid of the Yellow Peril?'' - Anti-Chinese sentiment in the West is a reflection of our fear that we may lack the ability to match their enterprise and diligence - 7th November 2010
 * by gene, we turn back into brutes'' - Once it is accepted that a condition is entirely pre-ordained at the moment of conception, it can erode the will to self-improvement - 31st October 2010
 * — these cuts are just a scratch'' - Each pound not taken from the taxpayer to fund the public sector is a pound more in the pockets of the private citizen - 17th October
 * those women — oh Ed, you lucky man'' - Are there any other disadvantages that Miliband might expect as a result of having a shadow cabinet with 11 women in it? - 10th October 2010
 * you don’t fancy the euro now, Nick'' - The interminable troubles of the euro, illustrated by Germany's nostalgia for the Deutschmark, has silenced Lib Dem Europhiles - 3rd October 2010
 * up, Danny — you’re a dodger too'' - The hypocrisy demonstrated by the Lib Dems' exhibits a level of shamelessness to which incredulous laughter is the only response - 26th September 2010
 * motives behind the phone hacking row'' - The row over Andy Coulson's alleged involvement in phone hacking has been engendered by profound political and media rivalries - 11th September 2010
 * ... the rumour is that you’re killing privacy'' - The privacy ship has sailed, and we now live in a society where we are completely addicted to sharing, however sensitive the information - 5th September 2010
 * bits & melons – I learnt it all in Albania'' - Clarkson went on a holiday trip to Albania learn about cement, but came away with his mind enriched by so much more - 5th September 2010
 * final word: he wants power again'' - Tony Blair's memoirs have revealed that he wishes to be in our thoughts and part of the public consciousness as much as ever - 5th September 2010
 * Tories regret the immigration promise'' - If remaining on welfare seems more rewarding than employment, why should people feel compelled - or even want - to work? - 29th August 2010
 * Dave is on a smarm offensive'' - The Indians will buy our products if they think they are reasonably priced and of high quality — and for no other reason - 1st August 2010
 * Piers, Britain’s got a talent for envy'' - Piers Morgan's success will arouse a small-minded envy amongst many in England who despise the open pursual of fame - 18th July 2010
 * crooks walk free and you tax the poor'' - Ken Clarke's plan to reduce prison expenditure by turning incarceration into community service may affect poor communities negatively - 4th July 2010
 * down your puns, Tommy, the war’s over'' - The hyperbolic media coverage of England's footballing rivalry and use of wartime symbolism is little more than a marketing ploy - 27th June 2010
 * a good look: now pick out the mass killer'' - There is no feasible method of screening for mass murderers, too many false positives and far too many false negatives - 6th June 2010
 * back our millions, Mandelson'' - In order to get re-elected the trick is to buy votes by handing out social and other benefits with borrowed money - 30th May
 * lie – try misspeaking instead'' - In America not only can you be what you want, but the public will even accept an invented past - 24th May 2010
 * the Whig in Tory clothing'' - Those on the left who imagine that they are the only genuine 'progressives' exhibit a deep intellectual conceit - 16th May 2010
 * plan B for the Asda election'' - In government, the Tory leader will have no choice but to engage in the confrontations that he has shunned to date - 9th May 2010
 * carping – you didn’t dare to stand'' - The public are giving them the thumbs-down but I salute our despised politicians in the week that makes or breaks them - 2nd May
 * tolerance sets craziness sky-high'' - When it comes to the deaths of children, few governments feel able to resist the urge to pander to the popular rage - 25th April 2010
 * battle of the public-school boys'' - Sigmund Freud had a perfect phrase for the rivalry between David Cameron and Nick Clegg: the narcissism of minor differences - 18th April 2010
 * you vote, take my Bentley test'' - A few days into the election campaign, we can already discern the infuriating catch-phrase: 'They are all just the same' - 11th April 2010
 * tower and the Olympic curse'' - In its bombast and excess the monument to the London Olympic Games is in perfect harmony with what the events have become - 4th April 2010
 * Fritz, we won’t stop mentioning the war'' - A new investigation probes the continued inability of much of the German establishment to confront truths about the past - 28th March 2010
 * the right thing, Darling'' - The chancellor is a mild-mannered man; if he were more abrasive, I imagine he would be tempted to harangue those picketing the Treasury - 21st March 2010
 * works if we keep criminals in'' - One in seven of those charged with murder is a person under the supervision of the probation service - 14th March 2010
 * the leaders’ debates – cue the yawn-ometer'' - It would be a genuine loss if the party leaders used the TV debates as an excuse not to enter the studios of Newsnight during the campaign - 8th March 2010
 * door to euthanasia must stay shut'' - It should be possible to remove national-treasure status as well as bestow it. I nominate Sir Terry Pratchett - 28th February 2010
 * Met had no chance against race-card Ali'' - In one sense Commander Ali Dizaei owes his downfall to the discrediting of the police in which he himself played such a part - 14th February 2010
 * is on a crazy crusade'' - The deputy leader of the Labour party still believes that the state will set us free from the tyranny of individual choice - 7th February 2010
 * Blair can never admit to regrets'' - Tony Blair's messianic moral imperative and his craving for an international role dovetailed perfectly - 31st January 2010
 * the burqa is simply not British'' - If you are genuinely terrified of your neighbour because she is wearing a full veil, see a psychiatrist about your unusual phobia - 24th January 2010
 * the Google dragon stirs'' - History will record the ultimate outcome of this ideological conflict between free expression and thought control - 17th January 2010
 * thinking on climate is frozen solid'' - If we had replaced our fossil-fuel power stations and with wind power, we would be facing an emergency rather than an inconvenience - 10th January 2010
 * will scratch your eyes out'' - China’s mild response to British anger over a drug smuggler's execution could stem from the fact that it had nothing to fear - 3rd January 2010
 * Copenhagen farce is glad tidings for all'' - Anything Europe does to cut its carbon emissions will be irrelevant, at best - 20th December 2009
 * spare us the fake chumminess'' - Politicians have increasingly sought to pretend to their voters that they lead lives exactly like those of the ordinary man in the street - 13th December 2009
 * Tiger's swing, ignore his swinging'' - The vast majority of Tiger Wood’s fanbase are men who care much more about golf than about the women in their own lives - 6th December 2009
 * the case for not pulling the plug'' - It is not the undiagnosed locked-in syndrome that Rom Houben experienced that fills me with horror - 29th November 2009
 * game of two halves: cheating and whining'' - It’s not their fellow cheats the footballers despise, but the referees for not spotting every one of their dishonest tricks - 22nd November 2009
 * we must slay the quango hydra'' - Labour has funnelled vast sums and ever more functions to organisations that are not answerable daily to parliament - 15th November 2009
 * fill church of green gods'' - Countries pay lip-service that an agreement in Copenhagen is necessary to 'save the planet', but it's now clear that no treaty will be agreed - 8th November 2009
 * up, Muslims – we fought for you'' - We can expect Karadzic to boast that he was fighting the Islamist threat to civilisation while Britain and America slept - 1st November 2009
 * rage will kill our Goldman goose'' - Lord Mandelson, the business secretary, spoke darkly of an 'unacceptable return' to past practices, but I beg to differ - 25th October 2009
 * an idea: set the taxman on MPs'' - Legg is only trying to claw back what would never have been paid out if MPs had acted by the spirit of their own rulebook - 18th October 2009
 * men in corridors of power'' - The Tories' success in getting Saint Bono to address their conference is just the latest suggestion of nominal government - 11th October 2009
 * the facts wot lost it for Labour'' - The role of any one newspaper in affecting the outcome of recent general elections has been between minimal and non-existent - 4th October 2009
 * it, this isn’t the all-clear to kill Granny'' - These guidelines might have made it more likely that prosecutions will be brought against those who assist in suicide - 27th September 2009
 * Dr Johnson’s clarity draught, Dave'' - It would be wrong to imagine that Brown’s aversion to the c-word is purely pathological - 20th September 2009
 * petit président needs stuffing, Carla'' - There is something peculiarly intimidating in the very short man of power - 13th September 2009
 * bankers’ bonuses and we will all suffer'' - If such greedy bankers are so socially useless, why should it be a problem if they depart to another country? - 6th September 2009
 * little boy behind Ted the titan'' - It is naive and even childish to believe that those who achieve great things are men and women of less than normal human frailty - 30th August 2009
 * sexing – let’s all race together'' - Let men and women - and all those uncomfortably perched in the middle - compete against each other in a single championship - 23rd August 2009
 * food is just a tax on the gullible'' - I could have become a fatal casualty of the organic movement - 9th August 2009
 * book a ticket to Dignitas just yet'' - A change in the law in the direction of euthanasia would be an encouragement to avaricious or impatient relatives - 2nd August 2009
 * wind power blows, jobs will fall'' - If Miliband believes that switching from coal to wind power will save lives in Africa he is deluded - 19th July 2009
 * not alone in liking dictators'' - As a rule, one should not bother to criticise famous people for the thoughts contained in articles under their name - 12th July 2009
 * British stooges are staring at you'' - The Iranian state media have been broadcasting a series of "confessions" by demonstrators against alleged vote rigging - 5th July 2009
 * pension lesson from elderly bank robbers'' - There is a demographic timebomb about to go off in the hands of our children and grand-children - 28th June 2009
 * you cover it up, we assume the worst'' - "Redaction" – or censorship – can make even the most innocent excision appear suggestive of infamy and depredation - 21st June 2009
 * Sir Alan fire the stereotype?'' - Why should anyone moderate exuberant behaviour to appease the prejudices of others? - 14th June 2009
 * will pull us over the edge'' - A great virtue of the law as it stands is that it protects the most vulnerable, Lord Falconer's proposed changes endanger this - 7th June 2009
 * legal mess exposed by Baby P’s mother'' - Judges are statutorily prevented from ensuring that the punishment fits the crime - 31st May 2009
 * crow but they are dithering on debt'' - Standard & Poor is saying it doubts whether the Conservatives will "put the UK debt burden on a secure downward trajectory" - 24th May 2009
 * eight weasel ways MPs avoid saying sorry'' - Psychologists will be writing doctoral theses for years on the responses by British MPs to the charges of dishonesty - 17th May
 * kukri draws blood at No 10'' - Political arguments should be judged on their merits, rather than by the relative beauty, charm or fame of the proponents - 10th May
 * Miss Lumley, they knew the deal'' - The Gurkhas have much less to complain about than at any time in their long and honourable history - 3rd May 2009
 * launches its custard pie strike'' - Iran knows that opposing Zionism and adopting the cause of the plight of Palestinians appeals to the muslim on the street - 26th April 2009
 * green jobs, the new sub-prime'' - There is something quite comical in the government’s belief that the electric car is a magic recipe - 19th April 2009
 * out, close ranks – it’s the police way'' - The Met's reaction to the circumstances of Ian Tomlinson's death undermines the public trust on which it was formed - 12th April 2009
 * gang pulls a $1 trillion con trick'' - The PM has always been a complete stranger to the true meaning of numbers - 5th April 2009
 * population doom merchants'' - The population control movement is nothing more than an idea in search of an argument - 29th March 2009
 * regulation can’t be right'' - Who regulates the regulators? The answer is obvious: more regulators – and so on until infinity or the public purse runs out - 22nd March
 * Cameron and the meaning of life'' - Even those who think of themselves as sympathetic can be astonishingly insensitive about disability - 1st March 2009
 * Ponzi scheme that's conning us all'' - The government does things that would put a private sector provider in jail - 22nd February
 * new deal is the same old blunder'' - America’s debt is already enormous, even before Obama’s "jump-start" has begun to hoover up the taxpayers’ trillions - 15th February 2009
 * the Pope and selective anti-racism'' - The two are this week’s occupants of the doghouse for those deemed to have offended against public decency - 8th February 2009
 * grateful Mandelson’s car plan is half-baked'' - It’s amazing that the government should be encouraging the public to take on more debt - 1st February
 * PM is spooking the markets'' - The government rushed out plans that are not fully thought out — giving the impression of incompetence, not decisiveness - 25th January
 * in the myth of social immobility'' - One thing that is never asked, is what would be an ideal or even desirable level of social mobility? - 18th January
 * we are not all Hamas now'' - Israelis see this campaign as closer to the spirit of the six-day war. "Ein brera", they say - Hebrew for "no choice" - 11th January (see: 2008–2009 Israel–Gaza conflict)
 * picks a loser on purpose'' - Ford sank no less than $10 billion into Jaguar in its 19 years of ownership without ever managing to make it profitable - 28th December 2008
 * bank on a day of reckoning'' - The sad truth is that even the most capable financial regulators will not anticipate every act of fraud - 21st December 2008
 * ‘right to die’ is a fashionable nonsense'' - How can we be said to require a "right" to something that is absolutely unavoidable, whether we want it or not? - 14th December 2008
 * bankers will die a thousand deaths'' - Millions who are net savers are increasingly furious about Brown's pursuit of borrowers' votes - 7th December 2008
 * Clarkson – you’re steering into ruin'' - Gordon Brown is wrong to steer the British economy violently against the direction of travel - 23rd November 2008
 * wel-feral state abandoned Baby P'' - Domestic chaos and moral squalour is encouraged by the welfare state and the permissive society - 16th November 2008



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