Alexander Chancellor



Profile:


Full name: Alexander Surtees Chancellor

Area of interest: Society, culture, politics

Journals: The Guardian

Email: [mailto:alexander.chancellor@guardian.co.uk alexander.chancellor@guardian.co.uk]

Website: Guardian.co / Alexander Chancellor

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Biography:
Education: Eton College; Trinity Hall, Cambridge University: BA

Career: Reuters: bureau chief in Italy, 1964/74; The Spectator magazine: Editor, 1975/84; The Sunday Telegraph: Deputy Editor, 1986; The Independent: Washington Editor, 1986/88; The New Yorker: Talk of the Town editor, 1992/93; The Times: Columnist, 1992/93; The Guardian: Columnist, 1996-present Current position/role: Columnist


 * also writes/has written for:

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Other: Uncle of actress Anna Chancellor



Books & Debate:

 * Some times in America: and a life in a year at the New Yorker OCLC43326468, memoir, 1999

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The Guardian:
Column remit: Society, culture, politics

Section: G2

Role: Columnist

Pen-name:

Email: [mailto:alexander.chancellor@guardian.co.uk alexander.chancellor@guardian.co.uk]

Website: Guardian.co / Alexander Chancellor

Commissioning editor:

Day published: Friday

Regularity: Weekly

Column format:

Average length: 950 words



Articles: 2011

 * it comes to wind farms, I don't feel bad about nimbyism'' - Whatever the government may say, wind turbines are not necessarily a good thing - 4th February
 * is Cameron so deferential to Murdoch?'' - Like Blair, Cameron seems to share the belief that a condition of success in British politics is to please Rupert Murdoch - 28th January
 * Hyde Park: a monument to inequality'' - One Hyde Park is a '21st-century monument' to the ever-growing gap between rich and poor - 21st January
 * insanity of America's lax gun laws'' - The more innocent people are killed by guns, the more determined Americans are to own them - 14th January
 * - the next chapter'' - Author Monica Ali is not alone in imagining the twists and turns Princess Diana's life may have taken had she lived . . . - 7th January



Articles: 2010

 * International Olympic Committee is heaping humiliation on Britain'' - How dare foreign bureaucrats dictate where we fly our national flag and insist that French will be the first language of the London Olympics - 10th December
 * in the snow'' - I feel the slight exhilaration I felt in the US midwest when, in longjohns and earmuffs, I braved the biting winds - 3rd December
 * Cameron may find happiness hard to measure. A broken cooker knob can ruin mine'' - I like the prime minister for wanting to find out what makes everyone happy, but we all sort of know anyway - 26th November
 * Kate Middleton is the perfect choice'' - I used to think they were a pointless couple. But Prince William's choice of bride may just ensure the survival of the monarchy - 19th November
 * wonder Cameron sounded mealy-mouthed on China's human rights'' - Given our relationship with George Bush, begetter of waterboarding and Guantánamo Bay, Cameron must have felt a bit hypocritical - 12th November
 * may be time for Obama to start showing his feelings more'' - Obama is not given to public displays of emotion, but as his opponents have showed, opening up is not to be feared - 5th November
 * the Exmoor Emperor really murdered by foreigners?'' - Or have rumours of the stag's death been greatly exaggerated? - 29th October
 * resistance to government cuts will never match that in France'' - Some will certainly fight the cuts tooth and nail – but it is more in our national character to unite in shared suffering - 22nd October
 * miners' rescue: I am confused by them giving much of the credit for their rescue to God'' - The Chilean miners' rescue had everything to do with the impressive feats of the rescuers and nothing to do with God - 15th October
 * Prince Charles has to keep his views to himself'' - Prince Charles's wish to be a 'defender of nature' is admirable. But he must remember that being controversial isn't part of his job description - 8th October
 * do the Miliband brothers hug in public?'' - Perhaps it is because the competion between them is so fierce - 1st October
 * Games and the Commonwealth'' - The crisis of India's Commonwealth Games preparation raises the question: what is the Commonwealth for, exactly? - 24th September
 * Blair and the pope's visit to Britain'' - Tony Blair is offering his thoughts on Catholicism again, but I've never been entirely convinced by his conversion - 17th September
 * Blair's years of surprise'' - Tony Blair in his memoirs seems to be in a constant state of surprise. But how could he not have anticipated the fox-hunters' fury? - 3rd September
 * nightmare journey from Italy'' - It has taken 32 hours to get home from Tuscany. Not as bad as a Chinese traffic jam, but enough to make me hysterical - 27th August
 * wasteful hall of fame'' - These statues of Lenin and co cost 200,000 euros each – and anyway, are they really the greatest people of the 20th century? - 20th August
 * 'summer of homophobia''' - It's a very strange summer in Tuscany – gay people are being attacked for displays of affection on the beach - 13th August
 * there are now 10,000 centenarians in Britain? This ageing business is getting out of control'' - New statistics show that life expectancy in the UK is increasing, but we're only just waking up to the problems this causes - 6th August
 * Tony Hayward was right all along'' - Against the odds, the BP chief executive has got his life back - 30th July
 * Obama and that special relationship'' - Britain has only one special relationship, the US many. What does that tell us? - 23rd July
 * Moat: Why the police should stop flattering him'' - Fugitive gunman is getting a lot of public sympathy - 9th July
 * Russian spy scandal that nobody much cared about'' - The spy scandal has caused little outrage. Maybe that's because the alleged Russian agents weren't very good at their job - 2nd July
 * oil spill: People in New Orleans loathe the company but they're OK with the British'' - A friend thought it would be amusing to introduce me as a BP representative - 18th June
 * cull of urban foxes won't work until townspeople distrust them as much as country folk'' - Foxes will continue to be a pest until people living in cities change their attitude to them - 11th June
 * Republic Day celebrates a nation founded on work. Pity so many of its citizens don't have any'' - A third of young Italians are jobless in the cash-strapped state - 4th June
 * Chandlers' fearlessness makes me proud to be British'' - Paul and Rachel Chandler showed dignity and courage in the face of their Somali captors - 28th May
 * hard to warm to Wenlock and Mandeville'' - This pair of alien Olympic mascots are a long way from the spirit of Waldi the adorable dachshund - 21st May
 * rise and rise of SuperClegg'' - The Liberal Democrats may have lost five seats in the general election, but the stature of their leader has risen immeasurably - 14th May
 * election 2010: I was undecided even in the polling station. Then it came to me . . .'' - I agreed it was time for a change – but change to what? - 7th May (Cif at the polls)
 * Brown's rotten luck'' - In referring to Mrs Duffy as a bigoted woman, Gordon Brown has completely blown his claim to be a straightforward man - 30th April
 * 'get Clegg' campaign could backfire on the press'' - A Lib Deb election victory would put arrogant newspaper editors in their place - 23rd April
 * Palin has been corrupted by wealth and fame'' - But some celebrities still have a conscience - 16th April
 * at voting Tory?'' - It's possible to support Conservative policies while not wishing to be identified with them - 9th April
 * time for papers to stop inventing April Fool's Day hoaxes'' - Genuine news stories seem increasingly unbelievable. We don't need made-up ones - 1st April
 * boys raised by nannies become womanisers? Just ask the president's father . . .'' - Pál Sarkozy's sexual initiation began with a bedtime story at the age of 11 - 26th March
 * are being used as a smokescreen'' - Campaigners will not be happy until Britain is completely cigarette-free - 25th March (writing in The Daily Telegraph)
 * child abuse by Catholic priests was sickening. The fact they acted without shame is terrifying'' - The Christian Brothers knew they could get away with it - 19th March
 * it's Sarah Brown v Samantha Cameron'' - Will the leaders' wives really bring their husbands electoral popularity? I'm not so sure - 12th March
 * ministers have better things to do than act as MC at Downing Street parties'' - Receptions must be hosted even in the midst of a crisis - 5th March
 * makes people think it's a good time to be old?'' - I can't imagine why an ageing society is something to celebrate - 26th February
 * JFK's love letters to modern sex texts'' - Kennedy was a lecher but, unlike today's celebrity sleazebags, at least he was a charming one -19th February
 * me unromantic, but Valentine's Day is grossly commercialised'' - Why we should be wary of this remnant of Victorian sentimentality - 12th February
 * furtively turning a cowshed into a castle was stupid of Robert Fidler'' - But it's wrong to make him knock it down - 5th February
 * iPad? I'll stick to my old-fashioned diary'' - The tablet computer launch may have hogged the headlines – but I'm not convinced by the hype - 29th January
 * election fought on class is fraught with danger'' - For a start, we're confused about which one we belong to - 22nd January
 * kicked smoking. Has Barack Obama followed my example?'' - I like to imagine we had a mutually supportive pact - 15th January
 * are told to avoid journeys that are not 'absolutely necessary'. Does that include getting to work in the morning?'' - The authorities are giving their blessing to those who would seize any opportunity to stay at home - 8th January
 * with dementia are people, not objects'' - The over-50s are fitter than ever, but the real elderly are still treated as an afterthought - 7th January (writing in The Daily Telegraph)



Articles: 2009

 * says I'm dead - well, that's news to me'' - The online encyclopedia claims that I passed away on 10 December. I'm happy to put the record straight - 18th December
 * cruelty of death row'' - In the US, murderers are executed - so it's odd that Americans think their justice system is superior to all others - 11th December
 * Cameron is laying himself open to charges of insincerity'' - Voters probably don't care that he's upper-class, but they will mind if they think he's only pretending to care about the poor - 4th December
 * one trusts bankers any more. That's hardly a surprise'' - They destroyed the livelihood of millions with their greed but feel no shame. Now they're even less trusted than journalists - and that's saying something - 27th November
 * was ready to give up alcohol – until I read the latest research'' - Apparently, the more you drink the greater your protection against heart disease. Does that mean we should all be drinking at least a bottle of wine a day? - 20th November
 * should stop sucking up to the tabloids'' - It makes them look unprincipled and probably won't help them win elections either - 13th November
 * bid to be president of Europe seems hopeless'' - And he'd have even less chance if it was a democratic election - 6th November
 * Silvio Berlusconi secretly have it in for Tony Blair?'' - How odd that the Italian prime minister may just have derailed his great friend's bid to be EU president - 16th October
 * all know David Cameron is posh'' - No one seems to mind that the Conservative leader is a toff. So why is he embarrassed by his hunting past? - 9th October
 * have always believed in the benevolence of the weather. The tsunami has betrayed that trust'' - Their open-plan homes stood no chance in an earthquake - 2nd October
 * Staffordshire hoard is spectacular. But now the countryside will be overrun with metal detectorists'' - Unearthing the Anglo-Saxon treasure will spark a modern gold rush - 25th September
 * are now New York's most discriminated minority'' - Mayor Bloomberg is extending the New York smoking ban to outdoor public spaces, so London will probably follow suit in a year or two - 18th September
 * are we suddenly so fascinated by our history?'' - Man Booker prize contenders, Starkey and Schama TV series: we seem to feel a need to revisit our proud past - 10th September
 * time to explode the myth that all children evacuated from the blitz were well treated'' - In the large country house where I lived I was joined by 20 'urchins' from Wapping - 3rd September
 * wife shopped him. The Kennedy women covered up their husbands' excesses'' - Vicki even made sure that Ted, a notorious drinker, was never pictured with a glass in his hand - 27th August
 * the Lockerbie bomber Abdelbaset al-Megrahi on health grounds is a tricky call'' - Judicial decisions should not be lightly overruled – just remember Erich Honecker and all - 20th August
 * healthcare reforms provide fodder for his enemies''' - Americans are conditioned from birth to see government intervention as the start of a slippery slope into Nazism or socialism - 13th August
 * values seem to revolve around the worship of celebrities'' - Immigrants wanting to find out how to be true Brits should be shown Big Brother and I'm a Celebrity - 6th August
 * on earth does the government have a website telling us how to address aristocrats?'' - New Labour was supposed to be all about ending deference. So much for its pathetic attempts at constitutional reform - 30th July
 * politicians are opting for a bucket-and-spade holiday'' - Under-fire Brown is off to the Lake District - 23rd July
 * I think about Sir Edward Downes' decision to 'die with dignity''' - The great conductor's decision to end his life in Zurich with Dignitas still doesn't make me think assisted suicide is right - 16th July
 * Berlusconi has been railing against this 'small newspaper'. What is his problem with the Guardian?'' - Were the Italian PM to be found guilty of any sexual impropriety, of which there is admittedly no evidence so far, he would be finished - 9th July
 * people are angry - just look at our pensions - but that doesn't mean we should turn to crime'' - There is more reason here than in Germany for pensioners to resort to violent protest. But most of us just take to the bottle - 25th June
 * Charles may have lost Richard Rogers a job, but that's no reason to abolish the monarchy'' - Charles is not head of state, and nobody is obliged to take any notice of what he says. Nor does anybody often do so - 18th June
 * found myself struggling to think of four animals beginning with S. Does that mean I'm going senile?'' - When you get old, you forget that your memory has always been bad and assume your present forgetfulness is a sign of dementia - 11th June
 * these trying times we seek reliable comforts: tradition, quality and a bowl of spaghetti'' - Italian cooks don't tend to experiment, but try to ensure that their dishes taste exactly as they always have - 5th June
 * can tell how much trouble Berlusconi is in - even the Blairs are distancing themselves from him'' - It's been alleged that Berlusconi called up 17-year-old Noemi Letizia out of the blue after seeing her in a model agency brochure - 29th May
 * MPs with people in white suits trumpeting their honesty is not the answer to this scandal'' - Martin Bell was irritating enough; to have Esther Rantzen in parliament would be unbearable - 22nd May
 * does Stephen Fry think the row about MPs fiddling their expenses is a row about nothing?'' - You'd think Fry would be grateful to the press for helping to establish him as a 'national treasure' - 15th May
 * taxing the rich encourages 'layabouts', rages Michael Caine. It's time he enjoyed a lie-in'' - I have nothing against him but it is a curious fact that those who have triumphed over adversity are often unsympathetic towards the underprivileged - 1st May
 * might be fun to see Dick Cheney behind bars for condoning torture, but there are more urgent priorities'' - The fact that water- boarding was repeated so many times on the same two people suggests that Bush officials lied when they said its use was strictly controlled - 24th April
 * are too embarrassed to shoot game. This can only be a positive development'' - It is time to explode the myth that business cannot be successfully conducted except over food and wine and dead bird carcases - 17th April
 * the living to pay their debts can be tough. It's much easier to wait until they die'' - There are ways of making money in a recession, but it's difficult to think of attractive ones - 10th April
 * wants us all – even Gordon Brown – to stay happy. If we do, we might pull out of this slump'' - 3rd April
 * do pubs know we don't want small wine glasses when they don't offer them?'' - Publicans are telling customers they must either drink too much or nothing at all - 27th March
 * is everywhere. We can't even count on NHS doctors to be kind to us when we get old'' - The best form of health insurance is to be very nice to your children, in the hope they will take good care of you - 20th March
 * recession has turned Westfield shopping centre into a peaceful monument to past consumerism'' - Even the rich are belatedly concluding that needless possessions don't bring happiness and may even be morally corrupting - 13th March
 * writing publicly about her son's drug problem, Julie Myerson demonstrates her own addiction'' - She has allowed it to be known that her new novel, The Lost Child, is all about Jake - 6th March
 * mother's response to my sister Sophia's death was to behave as if she had never existed'' - One way of dealing with unbearable pain must be to try to suppress all memories of its cause. But my brother believes he has suffered emotionally as a result - 27th February 2009
 * may soon decide that genitals are a more reliable form of security ID than the face or retina'' - We should protest against body-scanning machines by going out with our cameras and taking intimate photographs of every public official - 20th February 2009
 * romantic about a heart-shaped casserole dish? And won't she just chuck its contents over you?'' - When I was young, I thought that St Valentine's Day must have been invented for the purpose of allowing shy British men a day of release from their inhibitions - 13th February 2009
 * to my own negligence I've been throwing money away on unnecessary expenses for years'' - thanks to my own negligence, I had been spending money for years on services that I hadn't even been receiving - 6th February 2009
 * makes world leaders think George Bush loves nut pastries, reads poetry and plays the harp?'' - This week, as it is required to do by law, the US state department published a list of all the presents given by foreigners in 2007 to President George Bush - 30th January 2009
 * are people not throwing up their hands in horror at an ex-KGB agent buying a British paper?'' - the sale of the London Evening Standard to a Russian oligarch and former KGB agent has happened almost without protest - 23rd January 2009
 * it be late nights and fry-ups for Obama's girls when the first granny moves into the White House?'' - Barack Obama, despite his regular workouts in the gym, is not a health extremist. He still smokes and says his favourite food is pizza - 16th January 2009
 * people in Britain really want to avoid the sack, they should try phoning in sick less often'' - Even in times of recession, when jobs are at risk, our aversion to work survives intact - 9th January 2009
 * we're told too much thinking can make us fat. This year, we must not let bad news get us down'' - It is likely that this year, however hard it may be, will not be as depressing as the last one - 2nd January 2009



Articles: 2008

 * anyone still thinks it is easy to give up smoking, they need only look at the next US president'' - Barack Obama, who was pictured in yesterday's papers as a college student sucking jauntily on a cigarette, has still not managed to kick the habit nearly 20 years later - 19th December 2008
 * could have done without the death scene, but Sky's assisted suicide film didn't deserve the tabloid fury'' - 12th December 2008
 * bank manager once invited me for lunch at the branch. Imagine that happening today'' - 5th December 2008
 * in the 50s was not perfect. I remember being scared of teddy boys and shocked by race riots'' - 28th November 2008
 * by their parents' flattery, today's teenagers believe they will rise to the top. They're in for a shock'' - 21st November 2008
 * the government is going off the Olympics. Is it too late to give them to the French?'' - 14th November 2008
 * is like a child who has smashed up his toys inviting another to come and play in his nursery'' - To inherit two wars and a broken economy would not be most people's idea of fun - 7th November 2008
 * Brand-Ross affair is a chance for the BBC to end the culture of cruelty that permeates its comedy'' - For most people, the 'line' in comedy is between what is funny and what is not. Well-directed satire amuses everyone, young or old - 31st October 2008
 * will I know when people think I am old? When they start calling me 'dear' or 'sweetie''' - 17th October 2008
 * the end of a week like this, it's difficult to disagree with David Cameron's diagnosis of a broken society'' - 3rd October 2008
 * principle it's right to let a Catholic ascend the throne, but it's a move that could easily backfire'' - 26th September 2008
 * Thatcher was rebuked for revealing her mother had dementia, but it is nothing to be ashamed of'' - 19th September 2008
 * our claustrophobic little homes it's no wonder people get drunk and stab each other on the streets'' - 12th September 2008
 * recession will be tough. But it might turn us into a friendlier - and even happier - society'' - I remember during the 1980s how polite taxi drivers became, so eager were they to attract custom - 5th September 2008
 * great many of us dream of living abroad - so why is Britain set to become even more crowded?'' - 29th August 2008
 * Glitter has served his time. So is it right that he can now be subjected to any degree of persecution?'' - 22nd August 2008
 * economic troubles bite, Italian holidaymakers are turning against the super-rich. It's about time'' - 15th August 2008
 * can't prove it, but I'm sure that it was the notorious Johnson clan who burgled my uncle's house - twice'' - 8th August 2008
 * What have we learned? Max Mosley isn't a Nazi - and Britain has had a privacy law all along - 25th July 2008
 * Whether it's crosswords, or moving to Thailand, the elderly must learn to occupy themselves - 18th July 2008
 * The White House can apologise all it likes - gaffes are what keep people's interest in politics alive - 11th July 2008
 * He wants health insurance for all Americans, but Barack Obama still has to prove he's patriotic - Obama has chosen the Fourth of July to show how much he loves his country - 4th July 2008
 * Mugabe's hatred of British colonialism, the road he lives in is still named after my grandfather'' - 27th June 2008
 * Cigarettes might be disgusting, but these days they are a great way to bond with other people - 20th June 2008
 * So now we know. God gave Tony Blair the strength to invade Iraq - but he didn't say it was right - 6th June 2008
 * For richer, for poorer - London divorce specialists say that inquiries have tripled since hard times began to hit the City fat cats - 30th May 2008
 * Edward Kennedy may be a great public servant, but he was lucky to survive the shame of Chappaquiddick - You would think from the tributes bestowed on Kennedy by colleagues and enemies alike that he has lived a life of unblemished virtue - 23rd May 2008
 * As the gap between rich and poor grew even wider, it was not such a 'nice' decade, after all - good times are very depressing for those who do not share in them - 16th May 2008
 * Drunken Brits abroad are again in the news - and I fear things will get even worse in the future - 9th May 2008
 * It's selfless of Autumn Kelly to convert to C of E for Peter Phillip's sake - but does it make sense? - 2nd May 2008
 * We're supposed to spend our way out of recession. But my bank has driven me to shred my credit card - 18th April 2008
 * Is watching Max Moseley on YouTube a victory? - 11th April 2008
 * Traveling light - lost luggage at Heathrow T5 - 4th April 2008
 * Driven to distraction - ...on being caught speeding - 28th March 2008
 * Once, people would have given back miney that wasn't rightfully theirs. How times have changed - 21st March 2008
 * The 'first black president' has proved he was no such thing with his treatment of the likely second - The Clintons want to persuade voters that Obama is trading on his blackness - 14th March 2008
 * Silence is golden - clubbers and music fans are damaging their hearing... - 7th March 2008
 * I don't need five blades on my razor - 29th February 2008
 * It's frankly embarrassing that Britain should be represented by a halfwit like Prince Andrew - 15th February 2008
 * As PM, Blair opposed an all-powerful EU. Now he's changed his mind - but only if he can run it - 8th February 2008
 * Inheriting financial security - 1st Fenruary 2008
 * Jet-setting president - It must be pretty dull in the Kremlin - Putin, like Blair and Sarkozy, just can't stop globetrotting
 * Kenny Richey is proof that the death penalty doesn't need to be carried out to destroy a life - ex-death row Scot returns home - 18th January 2008
 * London may be a different country, but not everybody is busy splashing out on diamonds in the West End - 11th January 2008
 * I thought Christmas was going to be uneventful. Then I found myself in A&E in my wife's knickers - 4th January 2007



Articles: 2007

 * Nick Clegg would not say if he had taken drugs. He would have been wise to stay silent on God, too - 21st December 2007
 * Nativity plays without Jesus and iPods instead of carols - is there any point to Christmas any more? - 14th Decemer 2007
 * The Queen has striven to keep the cosy, comfortable England of our dreams alive against all the odds - 7th December 2007
 * The Google millionaires are cleverer than the Saudis. They know money can't bring happiness - 16th November 2007
 * It is a pity Jon Snow won't join a rare and benign demonstration of national pride by wearing a poppy - 9th November 2007
 * Travelodge is having to provide towels to cover sleepwalking guests. What happened to pyjamas? - 26th October 2007
 * Mohamed Al Fayed is certainly tenacious, but he has forced a dismal and dispiriting experience on us all - 5th October 2007
 * Jack Straw has asked for a national debate on the meaning of Britishness. But can we define it? - 28th September 2007
 * Why William from York, who now sounds like Prince William, is persona non grata in Yorkshire - 21st September 2007
 * I tried to give the contemporary classical maestro Pierre Boulez a chance. I really did... - 14th September 2007
 * Yes, the Duke of Buccleuch was rich - but he was more in touch with ordinary people than most politicians - 7th September 2007

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Links:

 * Spectator articles
 * Wikipedia biog.