Geoffrey Wheatcroft



Profile:


Full name: Geoffrey Wheatcroft

Area of interest: Politics, Society, Culture, Current affairs, Sport

Journals: The Guardian, Financial Times, The Independent, Daily Mail

Email: [mailto:wheaty@compuserve.com wheaty@compuserve.com]

Website: Guardian.co / Geoffrey Wheatcroft

Blog: Comment is free...

Agent:

Networks:



Biography:
Education: New College Oxford: History

Career: The Spectator: columnist, literary editor; Evening Standard: (first) editor of the "Londoner's Diary", opera critic; Daily Express: columnist; has most recently contributing columns to the Daily Mail, The Guardian - Comment is free, The Independent Current position/role: Journalist


 * also writes/has written for: The Independent, Financial Times, The Sunday Telegraph, The Spectator, The Times Literary Supplement, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Atlantic monthly

Other roles: Author

Other activities:

Disclosures:

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TV/Radio:

Controversy/Criticism:

Awards/Honours:

Other:



Books & Debate:

 * The Randlords (1985) OCLC 12420083
 * Absent Friends (1989) OCLC 20565905
 * The Controversy of Zion: Jewish nationalism, the Jewish state, and the unresolved Jewish dilemma (1996) OCLC 34705118 - won an American National Jewish Book Award, 1996)
 * The strange death of Tory England (2005) OCLC 59208118 - shortlisted for the Channel 4 Political Book of the Year Award
 * Le Tour: a history of the Tour de France (2007) OCLC 52285655

Latest work: Yo, Blair! (2007) OCLC 77541167

Speaking/Appearances:

Previous debate: Geoffrey Wheatcroft vs. Carol Gould: Was Israel Born of Terrorism? George Mason University's History News Network, posted 29th September, 2006

Current debate: 

The Guardian / Financial Times / The Independent / Daily Mail:
Column remit: Politics, Society, Culture, Current affairs, Sport

Section: Comment

Role: Columnist

Pen-name:

Email: [mailto:wheaty@compuserve.com wheaty@compuserve.com]

Website: Guardian.co / Geoffrey Wheatcroft

Commissioning editor:

Day published: varies

Regularity: not consistent

Column format:

Average length:



Articles: 2010

 * Blair was both cause and effect of the depoliticisation of Britain'' - One thing he can’t be blamed for is the eclipse of two-party politics, which has been a long-term change and a startling one - 9th October
 * was not the great election winner'' - Blair took the politics out of politics; he won his election victories, such as they were, by voiding political life of its content - 4th September
 * and false steps as Cameron looks east'' - Geoffrey Wheatcroft wonders whether the UK government has a considered foreign policy at all - 30th July
 * Bradley Wiggins could have taught Raoul Moat'' - Throughout history, people have been afflicted by the self-pity that breeds violence. But there is another way - 20th July
 * will pray Disraeli was wrong about loving coalitions'' - The omens are unhappy for the Lib Dem leader. But blends in British politics are less novel than some imagine - 29th June
 * hypocrisy of America's outrage'' - Anyone can understand the anger sweeping America as the original explosion was followed by BP’s seeming helplessness. But are the Americans really the ones to cast the first stones? - 19th June
 * happened to the new politics?'' - Behind the coalition - 22nd May
 * strange rebirth of Tory England'' - Is it too much to say that Mr Cameron blew it? - 13th May
 * shiny new face, but yet to win over either his party or the nation'' - On the whole the British are suspicious of "charismatic" politicians, and it's unusual for someone to explode on to the scene with one brilliant rhetorical performance in the way Barack Obama did when his electrifying speech at the 2004 Democratic convention led to the White House - 12th May
 * glad to miss this orgy of electoral dishonesty'' - For the first time I feel barely a flicker of election fever. Unlike the clashes of old, Cameron v Brown inspires only revulsion - 6th April
 * can't complain about privacy'' - They are mistaken in thinking that we want to be taken into their domestic lives - 13th March
 * shows that David Cameron can still win'' - The hung parliament obsession is not shared by the bookmakers - 1st March
 * differing approaches to terror'' - The word ‘racist’ is overused, but when dealing with terrorists it is all too accurate - 20th February
 * 1929 a generation leapt leftward. Not today. Socialism has been buried'' - Europe has witnessed a tectonic shift to the right since the war. No wonder the Tories might feel short of breathing space - 9th February
 * diving and denying the truth'' - Those who trusted Blair have been left with their arses hanging out of the window - 23rd January
 * The Boil, in with Belly'' - The dismal efforts of the England cricket team are typical. We just don't do decent nicknames now - 18th January
 * price of a kingmaker'' - Clegg protests too much. Like all third parties, the Lib Dems would be up for sale if power was on offer - 6th January



Articles: 2009

 * was a political giant compared to our puny, modern MPs'' - Born 200 years ago today, Gladstone's vast intellect and personal dynamism inspired awed admiration from political friend and foe alike - 29th December
 * by plank, Blair's case collapses'' - The most devastating evidence describes Blair’s sheer servility towards Bush - 12th December
 * for the noose are an insult to Ludovic Kennedy'' - This great advocate for justice would be disgusted by a new breed of reactionaries calling to restore the death penalty - 30th November
 * Brown's very public decline'' - Why the belief that this PM would be more inspiring than the discredited Blair? - 14th November
 * Tories' foreign foibles go far beyond just Europe'' - Cameron's volte-face on Lisbon is just the latest example of clumsiness beyond Britain's borders. There is, however, one ray of hope - 6th November
 * more than ever, Britain needs the last Chartist reform'' - The expenses scandal has prompted a panoply of ideas to fix politics. But the strongest of all is missing: annual elections - 20th October
 * views we should not suppress'' - Plenty of people will be repelled by the thought of Griffin on TV, or Wilders in the UK - 17th October
 * the bite is worse than the bark'' - Let's not rush to shove a microchip into every dog in the country - 29th September
 * debt to the persecuted'' - From the BBC to science and publishing, refugees from Nazi Germany have enriched our cultural life - 7th September
 * man of war who was an even greater man of peace'' - Winston Churchill is continually quoted and misquoted, used and abused -3rd September
 * I'll say it again. Cameron has to jettison the Blairite ultras - The Tory leader must get a grip on a small but dangerous infestation that is keeping alive the neoconservative dream - 25th August
 * understand genius, forget the purple knickers'' - With Muriel Spark or Wagner, what counts are uncommon gifts. Misery memoirs are the place for common frailty, not literary biography - 19th August
 * BBC wants public funds to fritter on free-market pay'' - A sharp culture shock is needed. Like our greedy bankers or light-fingered MPs, the top corporation executives have it coming - 5th August
 * win. Yet something is wrong with these Tories'' - Labour is in free fall, but Cameron's Conservatives fail to soar. Could it be a sense of smug cynicism, of calculation over honour? - 28th July
 * quality of sacrifice'' - Tributes to soldiers killed in action only underline that the victims of today's wars are mainly civilians - 8th July
 * how dark it is here'' - A wearying phenomenon called Regieoper makes opera directors superior to Mozart. Where next? - 2nd July
 * might yet review the state of the Union'' - Devolution is unjust - 23rd April
 * rulers have fallen into disrepute, and they can only blame themselves'' - Politicians have finally grasped the full extent of this public contempt - 18th April
 * sunk these pirates, but the Age of Might is over'' - The adventure on the high seas is a blast from the past. The US empire now faces the impotence of conventional force - 14th April
 * knack for dire romcom'' - Britain is now the home of odiously self-regarding comedy. Richard Curtis should be put in the dock - 6th April
 * know the real cost of Jacqui Smith's second home'' - To understand why MPs can vote for a war they don't believe in, go back to 1911 and see how cash corroded the Commons - 25th February
 * and good judgement don’t mix'' - From Allen Stanford to Jacqui Smith, the mighty are losing touch with reality - 21st February
 * Tories must look to Hume, Smith and Burke'' - The real prize may go to the British political party that can remind us that self-interest can always be enlightened - 6th February
 * in action'' - Swiss firefighters are a living rebuke to right and left: society does exist, but is best left alone - 22nd January



Articles: 2008

 * For a PR man, Cameron's blunders are catastrophic - The Tories should be charging ahead. But they keep on getting knocked back by a great force: their leader's lack of judgment - The Guardian, 24th December 2008
 * of influence are a fact of life'' - Nato expansion was a classic example of an answer without a question - The Independent, 1st December 2008
 * an opposition'' - If they are to be elected, Cameron's cohorts must ditch the silly Bullingdon showboating and foolery - The Guardian, 25th November 2008
 * one's sock in it'' - If Charles is ever to be king, he must learn from his mother that restraint, not opinion, is required - The Guardian, 14th November 2008
 * the US right disintegrates, only one result seems possible'' - Obama has simply waited for his opponent to self-destruct - The Independent, 30th October 2008
 * bother in Wasilla'' - The resurgence of religion now marks the widest divide between US and European politics - The Guardian, 21st October 2008
 * has much to learn on the road to Downing Street'' - When David Cameron addresses the UK Conservative party conference on Wednesday, he will stand in triumph, near the brink of a great victory - Financial Times, 27th September 2008
 * Peking games'' - Cities and even countries sometimes change their names. That's fine, but why should we follow? - The Guardian, 27th August 2008
 * Europeans bet big on Obama - Financial Times, 26th August 2008
 * Why are we pretending we would fight for Georgia?'' - Messrs Miliband and Cameron want Georgia to join Nato. Such thinking is muddled, dangerous and defies the lessons of history - The Independent, 17th August 2008
 * Yes, I'll be cheering our athletes. But the truth is my heart's no longer in the Olympics - Daily Mail, 6th August 2008
 * West Side hyperbole - It seemed exhilarating 50 years ago, but Bernstein's classic musical is far from the best of its generation - Comment is free, The Guardian, 5th August 2008
 * Electoral reform may make sense - But contrary to David Clark's argument, it is less urgent than reducing the number of non-English MPs at Westminster - Comment is free, The Guardian, 1st August 2008
 * Scotland problems will soon become English'' - The party's embrace of devolution was cynically motivated. It has backfired horribly. But can Cameron capitalise? - The Guardian, 30th July 2008; response to this article by David Clark, Comment is free - 31st July 2008
 * Hypocrisy, booze and the British: oblivion at 80p a shot - Nations cultivate images of themselves that they successfully foist on others but that are sometimes the exact opposite of the case - Financial Times, 30th July 2008
 * This by-election is a regular fixture: Catholics vs Protestants - Whether or not the Government holds Glasgow East on Thursday, this by-election helps explain why Labour retains a bedrock of support in Scotland - The Independent, 20th July 2008
 * The depth of Labour's crisis is easily explained: this dead cat has bounced - The spike in support that greeted Brown's arrival was really relief at Blair's departure. The malaise set in long, long ago - The Guardian, 10th July 2008
 * Labour's own history shows toffs can champion the poor - The party's sham class war is displacement activity for a movement that has lost its popular roots and its radical faith - The Guardian, 27th May 2008
 * The poetic justice of Brown’s fate - When sorrows come, they come not single spies, But in battalions - Financial Times, 20th May 2008
 * It was fun, but 1968 left us sybaritic, self-absorbed and ruled by the right - The Paris riots 40 years ago prompt nostalgia on the left, but even the alleged cultural victories had unintended effects - The Guardian, 1st May 2008
 * Three terms is quite enough. Democracy demands change - The row over Labour's leader rests on the false assumption that another win would be good for the country and the party - The Guardian, 15th April 2008
 * After this shaming farce, we should put out the Olympic flame for good - Daily Mail, 8th April 2008
 * Washingtone's good Doctor - To write off Ron Paul as a loopy reactionary ignores his courageous stand on Iraq and Israel - The Guardian, 27th March 2008
 * The Clinton bubble has burst, and not before time - The Independent on Sunday, 2nd March 2008
 * The worst case scenario - British libel law means our press is vulnerable and the wealthy are shielded from criticism - The Guardian, 28th February 2008
 * Lament for the disarmer - We may have been naive, but I don't regret my CND days. Fifty years on, where are our heirs? - The Guardian, 6th February 2008
 * The day decency died in our 'beautiful game - Daily Mail', 6th February 2008
 * Gorged on our cash, MPs have lost touch - Daily Mail, 29th January 2008
 * Unreliable opinions - Voters who lead pollsters astray are shying away from examining the true content of their hearts - The Guardian, 23rd January 2008
 * Not such a little earner - Tony Blair's new role as a JP Morgan adviser is just the latest evidence of his brazen avarice - The Guardian, 11th January 2008



Links:

 * Prospect magazine articles (archive)
 * New Statesman reviews
 * Wikipedia bio