Boris Johnson



Profile:
Full name: Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson

Area of interest: Politics, Society, London issues

Journals: The Daily Telegraph

Email: [mailto:mayor@london.gov.uk] | Mayor's office contacts

Website: BorisJohnson.com | Telegraph.co / Boris Johnson

Blog: as above...

Agent: AP Watt

Networks: Facebook | YouTube | Twitter: MayorOfLondon



Biography:
Education: Eton College (King's scholar); Balliol College, Oxford University: Classics (2.1); President of the Oxford Union, 1983

Career: Trainee reporter for The Times, 1987; Reporter for the Wolverhampton Express and Star, 1987; The Daily Telegraph: Leader and feature writer from 1987, European Community correspondent 1989/1994, Assistant Editor, 1994/1999; The Spectator: Political columnist, 1994/1995; unsuccessfully stood for Member of Parliament for Clwyd South, 1997; The Spectator: Editor, 1999/2005; Member of Parliament for Henley-on-Thames, 2001; Vice-Chairman of the Conservative Party, 2003; Shadow Minister for the Arts, 2004; sacked as Minister of Arts after allegations of adulterous affair, 2004; resigned Spectator editorship to become  Shadow Minister for Higher Education, 2005/2007 (see:  official opposition frontbench); resigned as MP having won London Mayoral election, May 2008 Current position/role: Columnist


 * also writes/has written for:

Other roles: Politician, Author

Other activities: Mayor of London (former Member of Parliament for Henley on Thames)

Disclosures: House of Commons Register of Members' Interests, from theyworkforyou.com

Viewpoints/Insight: Evening Standard: Interview by David Rowan, 2004
 * Interview: Politik show with Boris at the Conservative Party conference, (video) Catch 21 Productions

TV/Radio: see IMDb

Controversy/Criticism: BBC News 24: Boris apology to Papua New Guinea re "cannibalism and chief-killing" (video); Boriswatch
 * see: Controversies (Wikipedia)

Awards/Honours: New Statesman - New Media Awards: Nominations - Elected representative award for his blog

Other: Married to barrister Marina Wheeler (daughter of journalist and broadcaster Sir Charles Wheeler); Great-grandson of Turkish Journalist, Ali Kemal; younger sister is author/columnist Rachel Johnson



Books & Debate:

 * Friends, voters, countrymen: jottings from the stump OCLC48572617, 2001
 * Lend me your ears: the essential Boris Johnson OCLC56448967, 2004
 * Seventy-two virgins OCLC56649301, 2004
 * The dream of Rome OCLC67865987, 2006
 * Have I got views for you OCLC70264769, 2006
 * Bottom gear OCLC85828673, 2007
 * Life in the fast lane: The Johnson guide to cars OCLC225495489, 2007
 * The British OCLC80331596, 2007

Latest work: The perils of pushy parents OCLC163310092, 2007 , poetry Speaking/Appearances:

Current debate: 

Daily Telegraph:
Column remit: Politics and Society

Section: Features / Comments

Role: Commentator

Pen-name:

Email: [mailto:johnsonb@parliament.uk johnsonb@parliament.com]

Website: Telegraph.co / Boris Johnson

Commissioning editor:

Day published: varies

Regularity: Weekly

Column format:

Average length: 1000 words



Articles:

 * the Aussies want to bend the knee to the Queen'' - Hereditary power is so deeply appealing that the staunchest republicans can't resist - 31st January 2011
 * four-star fuel lunacy that could drive the country to a standstill'' - The Government must address the plight of Britain's poor motorists - 24th January 2011
 * beaten up in cyberspace does no one much harm'' - Internet debate can be coarse, but it really does hold journalists and politicians to account - 17th January 2011
 * show booming India that we know our onions'' - We need to capitalise on our shared language, culture and history - 10th January 2011
 * Mick's a Sir, why can't Keef have the same satisfaction?'' - Never mind the scandals, the Stones' Keith Richards is a gifted artist who deserves a knighthood - 28th December 2010
 * man who repeatedly beats the Met Office at its own game'' - Piers Corbyn not only predicted the current weather, but he believes things are going to get much worse - 20th December 2010
 * Europhiles should be forced to crawl in penitence'' - The 'blimpish Little Englanders’ who opposed monetary union were right all along - 13th December 2010
 * I can’t set the SAS on Fifa – so I’ve declared war on traffic cones'' - Jams caused by endless roadworks are as irritating as losing the World Cup bid - 6th December 2010
 * is best placed to host the 2018 World Cup'' - I hope that tonight’s Panorama about Fifa will not prejudice our World Cup bid - 29th November 2010
 * W. Bush can’t fight for freedom and authorise torture'' - If the West’s aim is to spread the rule of law, it cannot be achieved by vile means - 15th November 2010
 * journalists at the BBC went on strike? That's news to me'' - Boris Johnson says its current affairs programmes no longer play a pivotal role in his life – or that of the nation - 7th November 2010
 * a certain submarine, we cannot let Trident run aground'' - Britain needs to keep its nuclear arsenal, even if it's made in – and controlled by – the United States - 25th October 2010
 * road to a university place must begin when a child is five'' - Higher education often comes too late for those without an incentive to learn - 11th October 2010
 * should be a law against these Tube strike militants wrecking your lives'' - The Tube strike is a political attack on the Coalition, with ordinary workers as the victims - 4th October 2010
 * Ed forgotten the lessons we learnt at school?'' - Labour's new leader looks like being under the thumb of the unions – harking back to the bad old days of the 1970s - 27th September 2010
 * visit: Blimey. What to say to the Pope? A good joke ought to clinch it. . .'' - Waiting to meet Benedict XVI, Boris Johnson feels his sense of humour rising to the occasion - 20th September 2010
 * needs immigrants, but it also needs tough border controls'' - Labour's open door policy was a disaster, but the Coalition is deterring people we need - 13th September 2010
 * bonus season is coming – and Ed Balls is right to foresee a train crash'' - Banks need to do more this Christmas than hand out bumper cheques to their staff - 6th September 2010
 * I'd do to the wheelie-bin woman'' - In Tanzania, Boris Johnson rediscovers a wilderness worthy of deep and lasting respect - 30th August 2010
 * is human nature to seek the holy'' - Celebrities are prepared to risk their reputations to be pictured in the company of greatness - 9th August 2010
 * is taking off, but our wings are clipped'' - Istanbul's gleaming airport is a symbol of a nation going places. Heathrow is not - 2nd August 2010
 * is bad for us – so why don't we do something about it?'' - The best way to teach reading and writing must be settled once and for all - 19th July 2010
 * streets are suffering from a monstrous plague of blotches'' - Bin it, wrap it or even swallow it, but if you spit gum on to the street you must be fined - 12th July 2010
 * the heroic parents who let their children cycle to school'' - The couple who have shown faith in their children – and London's streets – should be applauded, not hounded - 6th July 2010
 * why England came a cropper'' - Our World Cup thrashing can be traced to the ban on competitive school sports - 28th June 2010
 * blow our vuvuzelas for a bright South African future'' - The World Cup has given the host nation renewed pride and hope for the future, says Boris Johnson - 21st June 2010
 * can live with the despair. It's the hope I can't stand'' - It is our destiny to suffer when the national team plays – but fear not, we can still triumph - 14th June 2010
 * here's an idea. Let's bring Harry Potter home'' - Hogwarts is as British as feasts in the dorm – so why is the new theme park in Orlando - 7th June 2010
 * MPs should be sent down the Tube'' - Why should the taxpayer continue to pick up the bill for state-sponsored cars - 1st June 2010
 * can take no pleasure from the euro's fall'' - Euro-sceptics should not gloat over the eurozone crisis – we'll feel the pinch too - 24th May 2010
 * Clegg and Cameron can cosy up, so can we'' - The plight of the lonely is a shameful stain on society that we should wipe clean - 17th May 2010
 * Election 2010: Get Gordon Brown out of the bathroom and deal with the real problems'' - We need to avert our eyes from the soap opera and focus on the economy - 10th May 2010 (General Election 2010)
 * Brown is a goner - bring on Peter Mandelson'' - Forget Harriet Harman or David Miliband, there is only one person fit to run Labour after this general election - 3rd May 2010
 * Election 2010: Only two can play – which leaves no room in the game for Labour'' - Peter Mandelson's leg-up to Nick Clegg may prove costly in what is essentially a two-party system - 26th April 2010
 * for PM? What is this madness?'' - The Liberal Democrats are a bunch of euro-loving road-hump fetishists who would be a disaster in power - 19th April 2010
 * last, people are tuning in to Dave's message'' - David Cameron has transformed the Tory Party and can do the same for the country - 12th April 2010
 * right: only wealth creation will help us now'' - Business needs the Tories' planned NI cut to get the economy back on its feet - 5th April 2010
 * are we paying to educate EU students?'' - the next PM should take a leaf out of Margaret Thatcher's book and demand a rebate - 22nd March 2010
 * about Latin makes me want to weep with rage'' - How can we understand our world unless we understand the ancient world first - 15th March 2010
 * the prophets of doom - I'm proud to be a baby boomer'' - The world is a happier place thanks to my generation, and the next will look after itself - 8th March 2010
 * to win? You must be joking'' - Forget the polls and keep an eye on the bookies – voters will give the Tories a chance - 1st March 2010
 * ski helmets by all means, but I’m sticking to a woolly hat'' - The slopes are no more dangerous, so why is everyone following the herd - 22nd February 2010
 * Greeks must be rueing the day they whacked the drachma'' - If Hellenic pride is currently at a low ebb, just wait until the EU steps in - 15th February 2010
 * will be in power for ever if Cleggie gets PR'' - Proportional representation gives too much power to minorities and the party machines - 8th February 2010
 * economy class, Lord Mandelson'' - Taxpayer-funded perks for state officials are a wasteful and shameless self-indulgence - 1st February 2010
 * pining for life on Pandora and come back to planet Earth'' - All this doom and gloom associated with the 3D epic 'Avatar' is bizarre - 25th January 2010
 * Johnson v Will Hutton'' - Is London's banking system a vital cog that keeps the capital running, or a timebomb in the British economy? Let the debate begin... - The Guardian, 24th January 2010
 * appeal is no mystery'' - Blood is brighter in the snow - plus we expect Nordic countries to be more virtuous - 18th January 2010
 * roadworks scam that costs Londoners £1 billion every year'' - Private companies should require a time-limited permit to dig up the roads - 11th January 2010
 * to beat crime? Kiss and make up'' - People are often frustrated by a complicated justice system when all they want is an apology - 4th January 2010
 * toy gun has restored my faith in Britain and the free market'' - Ingenuity is thriving and it will solve the problems facing humanity - 28th December 2009
 * the Americans can afford to buy Cadbury, then let them'' - Sentimentality over an undoubtedly great bar of chocolate can't stop market forces - 7th December 2009
 * healthy London is the best medicine for Scotland'' - The capital is the powerhouse for the rest of the United Kingdom. It deserves better - 30th November 2009
 * tests say I have leukaemia... hang on a mo, that can’t be right'' - Being sent the wrong health results makes you think about how random and pitiless the universe is - 23rd November 2009
 * should worry that Tracey is fleeing'' - The 50p tax rate will be a disaster for the economy – taking us back to the dark days of the 1970s - 16th November 2009
 * abandon Afghanistan now would be a betrayal of the fallen'' - The campaign to defeat the Taliban must endure - whatever it takes - 9th November 2009
 * remember the Ninth of November'' - The fall of the Berlin Wall 20 years ago freed millions from tyranny and poverty - 2nd November 2009
 * need the law on their side'' - We need a politician with the guts to stand up for reasonable discipline in our schools - 26th October 2009
 * barefaced greed of bankers and their bonuses beggars belief'' - City pockets are bulging with bonuses. Have the banks no shame? - 19th October 2009
 * anyone's going to make money out of misery, it may as well be us'' - Divorce capital of the world isn't an honourable, title, but at least it's a lucrative one - 12th October 2009
 * Europe does get a president, it definitely won't be Tony Blair'' - A spectre is haunting Europe, my friends. That spectre has a famously toothy grin and an eye of glistering sincerity and an almost diabolical gift of political self-reinvention - 5th October 2009
 * When one civilisation deserves its bloody nose from another'' - The Aztecs' taste for killing presents a powerful case for colonialism - 28th September 2009
 * public-sector non-jobs, not power plants, roads and rail links'' - It is only by investing for the long-term in infrastructure that we can create a strong economy - 21st September 2009
 * slobbering, sexist xenophobe who understood human nature'' - Dr Johnson was a brilliant champion of the English language and the little guy - 14th September 2009
 * is a symbol of where real power lies'' - As Westminster MPs lick their wounds, their European counterparts grow ever more confident - 7th September 2009
 * Cameron's first task should be to get his ministers out of their cars'' - Politicians should stop wasting our money and start taking public transport - 31st August 2009
 * results: are we becoming a nation of intellectual Usain Bolts, or not?'' - are our children are getting brainier, or if it's all just grade inflation - 24th August 2009
 * passing the buck on Gary McKinnon and let British common sense prevail'' - We should be protecting Gary McKinnon, not catapulting him across the Atlantic - 3rd August 2009
 * turning into a nation of hoarders'' - The self-storage industry is booming as we hoard more and throw away less - 27th July 2009
 * are now so spineless, I will never see a man walk on Mars'' - A demented scheme to vet adults who visit schools illustrates how averse the world has become to risk - 20th July 2009
 * poppycock to grow crops here but destroy them in Afghanistan'' - Why pay our farmers to produce opium while Afghan poppy crops are razed - 13th July 2009
 * and safety fears are making Britain a safe place for extremely stupid people'' - Health and safety concerns are reducing life to mindless mayhem - 6th July 2009
 * would be wrong to sneer at this outpouring of public grief'' - Michael Jackson took on the martyr's mantle once worn by Diana, Princess of Wales - 29th June 2009
 * has Ayatollah Khamenei of Iran got against little old Britain?'' - The BBC Persian service has provided protesters in Tehran with vital information at a time when the mullahs are baffled by Barack Obama - 22nd June 2009
 * spending begins with private enterprise'' - Where is the call for wealth creation amid the squabbling about cuts and investment - 15th June 2009
 * foiled the coup against Gordon Brown – and killed Labour's last hope'' - Labour's MPs have shown themselves to be more interested in their expenses than the good of the country - 8th June 2009
 * expenses: Everything will be all right when Simon Heffer rides to the rescue'' - I can't stand the tension. It is far more exciting than Britain's Got Talent, and far more important for the future of the country. Day after day the tumbrels roll past, and the guillotine falls and, amid the horrible yells of the crowd, the head of another politician is held aloft - 1st June 2009
 * are the rebel MPs who will dare to vote from the heart?'' - We need Members who defy party pressures and go with their conscience - 26th May 2009
 * oldest mother deserves congratulation not disapproval'' - criticism of Britain's oldest mother-to-be is misplaced and hypocritical - 18th May 2009
 * Savage poses no risk to British security so why won't MPs say so?'' - It is shocking that not a single MP has stood up to defend free speech - 11th May 2009
 * on blonde: Mrs T’s unassailable legacy'' - Not since Napoleon has a nation been so divided over the merits of a former leader - 4th May 2009
 * moribund Government has returned to its miserable youth'' - As debts soar, taxes rise and the IMF stands ominously by - 27th April 2009
 * on comrades, stop beating up on Georgia Gould – you created her'' - Labour's demented education policy has intensified the advantages of children of well-heeled parents - 20th April 2009
 * night in Beijing when I saw Damian McBride's true colours'' - I don't want to talk about McBride. I don't want to think about him. There is a large part of me that does not want to read another sentence about this lately exploded pustule on the posterior of the British body politic - 14th April 2009
 * bees to make our economy buzz again'' - 7th April 2009
 * you pay for their porn won't stimulate the economy'' - The Jacqui Smith affair highlights Labour's misguided attitude to public spending - 31st March 2009
 * a slogan for the G20 mob: What do we want? Free trade!'' - So here we go again, folks. It is now 10 years since the anti-capitalists attacked the City of London, and next week they intend to outdo themselves - 24th March 2009
 * a really Right-wing idea: learn poetry'' - here's an education policy to gladden diehards, enrage trendies - and preserve the glory of English literature - 17th March 2009
 * to drive fast, have a good time - and still save the planet'' - The electric car is about to revolutionise the way we drive - 10th March 2009
 * Harman's raving almost made me think of siding with Sir Fred Goodwin'' - the Government's attacks on Sir Fred Goodwin are a bid to mask its own failings - 3rd March 2009
 * exactly, will Roger Moore's knees corrupt my children?'' - The risk of going on holiday with friends is that you inadvertently expose the vagaries of your child-rearing methods to the scrutiny of others - 24th February 2009
 * servants are sitting pretty, at your considerable expense'' - it is iniquitous for the private sector to fund the lavish public-sector pension plan - 10th February 2009
 * we put a brake on free trade, the world will skid into a crash'' - the urge to save British jobs i understandable, but it could lead to disaster - 3rd February 2009
 * McKinnon believes in little green men – but it doesn't make him a terrorist'' - Americans who want a harmless hacker extradited from Britain must be from a different planet - 27th January 2009
 * me your cellos, your flutes, your abandoned didgeridoos'' - I have been exposed to all manner of beautiful musical instruments, and in my hands they might as well have been sledgehammers for all the music they produced. And so it seems to me to be a sin that there are so many young people for whom the ratio is the other way around - 20th January 2009
 * not the only bungler'' - The departing president is unmatched as a master of unintentional comedy - but for incompetence he had stiff competition - 12th January 2009
 * chutney for Christmas won't help Britain out of recession'' - if we all scrimp and save this Christmas, the economy will be in an even more dire state - 23rd December 2008
 * the Younger talks sense: no third runway at Heathrow'' - To compete with Amsterdam or Paris for the international transfer market, a new airport in the Thames Estuary is the way forward - 16th December 2008 (see also: Runway 3, The Guardian)
 * only the so-called slump in prices had started with my Christmas tree'' - 9th December 2008
 * Gear sways Boris Johnson to electric cars'' - 2nd December 2008
 * Brown's massive gamble'' - The Prime Minister is running out of time. That's why he was forced into such desperate measures at yesterday's pre-Budget Report - 25th November 2008
 * expensive vin chaud is Brown's fault'' - the shadow chancellor was quite right to warn of the risks inherent in the Prime Minister's plan to launch a great, unfunded splurge of borrowing - 18th November 2008
 * of power firms bearing cricket balls'' - Don't be talked into an electricity deal you don't want just because you like their gifts - 11th November 2008
 * election: Like us, James Bond needed America's help to beat the bad guys'' - The new 007 adventure offers some interesting parallels for an incoming president - 4th November 2008
 * crisis: Eat, spend and be merry - this is not the end of the world'' - Some people seem to think we would be better off staying at home and baking our own bread - but that is insanity - 28th October 2008
 * Obama: Why I believe he should be the next President'' - 21st October 2008
 * only thing to do is dig for victory'' - the coming recession gives Britain a chance to improve its infrastructure, as America did in the 1930s - 14th October 2008
 * it time Gordon Brown stopped the FTSE stampede?'' - the exodus of FTSE-100 firms from London is in part the result of Labour's tax regime and only Mandelson may be able to stop it - 7th October 2008
 * Labour canvasser, the dog and a lesson for troubled times'' - Sometimes there is no villain to finger and accidents happen, as in the case of the Jack Russell that is alleged to have bitten a Labour campaigner - 30th September 2008
 * Crisis: Bankers and the City of London provided a roof over people's heads'' - 23rd September 2008
 * Edmonds is wrong about licence fee'' - 16th September 2008
 * the planet by cutting down on meat? That's a load of bull'' - The UN should know better than to lecture us all about going vegetarian - the real problem is that there are too many people in the world, says Boris Johnson - 9th September 2008
 * our damsons are now in distress'' - You can never predict where disaster will strike - and it's easy to make things worse by trying to prevent bad harvests or undo economic errors - 2nd September 2008
 * is changing, but the walls against the West are still there'' - 26th August 2008
 * come over our hopeless youth?'' - the only sport in which Britain is not currently excelling at the Beijing Olympics is the national pastime of running ourselves down - 19th August 2008
 * airport: I knew we stood in hell'' - Is it conceivable that our existing airports will improve by the 2012 Olympics? - 12th August 2008
 * What I offer business - Financial Times, 16th April 2008
 * 'They are trying to beat me with lies', claims Boris Johnson - 7th April 2008
 *  It is time for High Noon on our High Streets - 17th February 2008
 * And finally, something to offend King Newt - 10th January 2008
 * Imagine British streets free from terrorising kids - 20th December 2007
 * Playgrounds too soft, mean streets too hard - 13th December 2007
 * Innumeracy is pushing the economy off the cliff - 6th December 2007
 * British Muslims should protest teddy lunacy - 29th November 2007
 * Labour's new lottery: You could be ripped off - 22nd November 2007
 * Bin those bags andoust the gum plaque - 15th November 2007
 * Health and safety did for Menezes - 8th November 2007
 * Astonishingly, I want Hillary for president - 1st November 2007
 * Global over-population is the real issue - 25th October 2007
 * Stop Brussels to save our home-made jam - 18th October 2007
 * How can we let children live in fear? - 11th October 2007
 * Brown is a quivering jelly of indecision - 4th October 2007
 * Supporting troops needn't mean backing war - 27th September 2007
 * End of Belgium should be a warning to Brown - 20th September 2007
 * The McCann saga tells us about ourselves - 13th September 2007
 * Why Londoners should vote for me - 6th September 2007
 * Together we can reclaim the streets from the young thugs - 30th August 2007



Links:

 * Wikpedia bio
 * Wikiquote
 * Conservatives.com: About Boris cons party link
 * They-Work-For-You.com statistics