Ian Birrell



Profile:
Full name: Ian Birrell (not to be confused with Ian Burrell, also of The Independent)

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Journals: The Independent

Email: [mailto:i.birrell@independent.co.uk i.birrell@independent.co.uk]

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 * also writes/has written for: The Guardian, The Daily Telegraph, Financial Times

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Articles: all journals: 2011

 * Trust plans for the Olympic Park would create a proud legacy'' - A visionary post-Games plan for the Olympic Park is being put at risk by fools and jobsworths - 3rd August
 * is turning Britain into a cultural backwater'' - Performers from non-European countries are taking Britain off the playlist because border controls are too stringent - 10th July
 * journey's over, Tony Blair'' - Tony Blair supports the Arab spring and wants to heal Africa. Laudable aims but breathtaking hypocrisy - 10th June
 * war on drugs war is lost. Now it's time for a rational response'' - Politicians are too scared to propose legalisation and controlled use, but without radical changes many more lives will be destroyed or ruined - 5th June
 * twitterspat with Paul Kagame'' - The Rwandan president was revelatory in his self-exposure. Shame so few of his own people saw it - 17th May
 * Coast's Gbagbo must go – and so should other African leaders who overstay'' - With 19 elections due in Africa in the next 18 months, Ivory Coast highlights one of the continent's biggest problems - 4th April
 * despots fear the gales will blow south'' - News of the revolts in Libya and Egypt is being ruthlessly suppressed by nervous dictators - 11th March
 * our disabled daughter, a way out of the labyrinth'' - Gove promises some relief for the parents of severely disabled children. But others may have reason to worry - 11th March
 * Libya we can't let ourselves be scarred by Iraq'' - The international community must get over the foolishness of the 2003 invasion, and take swift action against Gaddafi - 24th February
 * deal struck with tyranny'' - The Libyan people are finally rebelling against their despised ruler and his corrupt regime. But Gaddafi's strength in the Arab world was shamefully bolstered by his oil pact with Tony Blair - 21st February
 * time the world listened to new stories out of Africa'' - Trade, not aid, is the best way to sustain the continent's increasing prosperity - 20th February
 * the dictators to steal'' - Hideous despots like Mubarak rip off their people, and the UK helps them hide their plunder - 14th February
 * NHS is ripe for revolution'' - Our needs have changed; so should our hospitals and doctors - 6th February
 * is not the villain in this tragic case'' - The PM knows that respite for carers is vital, but his Government has dealt insensitively with the disabled - 21st January
 * Cameron is inviting a Viking invasion'' - Once Scandinavia was a beacon for the Left. But its radical reforms now inspire the coalition - 19th January
 * detox remains the Tories’ prime task'' - on the party’s relationship with the Lib Dems - 5th January



Articles: all journals: 2010

 * big gamble puts the citizens at the wheel'' - The coalition government’s Big Society is not only for the middle classes - 29th December
 * brave new world is falling to pieces'' - In the Middle East, in Africa, in the Balkans, the international special envoy is in trouble - 24th December
 * last, a good way to help the homeless'' - A scheme that hands power, and money, to the destitute holds vital lessons for our public services - 15th November
 * you pay to volunteer abroad, think of the harm you might do'' - A damning report says that well-intentioned westerners do little to alleviate the lot of poverty-stricken children in developing countries - 14th November
 * sales plummet but the music plays on'' - The EMI saga points to desperation, but the industry’s survival strategy is worth noting - 22nd October
 * whirlwind of hatred against the disabled'' - Just how far are we, as a society, prepared to let violent crime against the disabled spiral upwards? - 16th October
 * kindest cuts of all'' - My daughter's case shows the need to change the culture of public service. This is not about money - 1st October
 * Dems need to stake out their own territory'' - Third party is failing to offer sufficient counterweight to the right - 24th August
 * open our doors to Haitians'' - 'Disaster asylum' would do far more than pouring in vast amounts of aid - 28th January
 * disaster and a shocking reality'' - Around the world, presidents and prime ministers mouth platitudes about sharing the pain of Haiti. But they should consider a simple question: how come only 63 people died when an earthquake of the same strength hit northern California 21 years ago? - 16th January
 * is counter-productive to humiliate another nation'' - Sitting amid the trawlers in Reykjavik harbour is a solitary gunboat, a reminder of what happened when Britain and Iceland last went to war - 7th January
 * economist who got it right'' - It is astonishing how much Pigou's ideas impact on our lives and debates today - 6th January



Articles: all journals: 2009

 * dark shadows that stain the new darling of Africa'' - The reality is that behind a veneer of democracy lies a ruthless autocracy - 27th November
 * is patients who will end up losing out'' - Nursing is a practical profession. It is not something that can be taught in universities - 13th November
 * your language: words can cause terrible damage'' - When did people with disabilities cease to matter in the battle against bigotry? - 6th November
 * This award is premature – and potentially very foolish - When Henry Kissinger was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1973, the American humourist Tom Lehrer declared that political satire was dead - 10th October
 * are repressive regimes given the succour of British aid?'' - A mission to eliminate poverty is laudable. But ours is riddled with contradictions - 17th September
 * These poor unfortunates are pawns in a game of power politics - Michael was sitting in the shade of a building site with about 20 fellow Nigerians, watching life go by in a bustling town on the edge of the Sahara... - 1st April
 * Iona and Ivan – a tale of two children and two families - The deputy editor of The Independent, whose daughter is profoundly disabled, offers a unique insight into the difficulties facing both his own family and the Camerons - 26th February



news & updates:

 * Ian Birrell joins David Cameron's office as speechwriter, Conservativehome website, 29th March 2010

