Joan Smith



Profile:
Full name: Joan Alison Smith

Area of interest: Society, human rights, feminism, secularism

Journals/Organisation: The Independent on Sunday | The Independent

Email: [mailto:joan@politicalblonde.com joan@politicalblonde.com] | [mailto:j.smith@independent.co.uk j.smith@independent.co.uk]

Personal website: http://www.politicalblonde.com

Website: http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/joan-smith

Blog: http://politicalblonde.com | http://politicalblonde.com/index.php/artsblog | http://www.guardian.co.uk/profile/joansmith

Representation: http://politicalblonde.com/index.php/contacts

Networks: https://twitter.com/#!/polblonde



Biography:
About: http://politicalblonde.com/index.php/joan-smith-is-political-blonde

Education: University of Reading: Latin

Career: Radio Manchester: journalist; The Sunday Times, 1979/1984; The Guardian: Weekend supplement columnist; The Independent on Sunday: Columnist

Current position/role: Commentator


 * also writes/written for: New Statesman; The Times (Book reviews)

Other roles/Main role: Author, critic, human rights activist

Other activities:
 * Honorary Associate of the National Secular Society
 * Former chair of the Writers in Prison committeee of English PEN (Poets, Essayists and Novelists)
 * Supporter of Republic (Campaign for a democratic alternative to the monarchy)

Disclosures:

Viewpoints/Insight:
 * Peter Tatchell interviews Joan Smith on the 'rise of religious fundamentalism across the world... and the need for a universal morality based on human rights' (18 Doughty Street.com) (VIDEO)

Broadcast media:

Video: Regular contributor to BBC radio and has presented 'What The Papers Say'

Controversy/Criticism:

Awards/Honours: Offered an MBE for her services to PEN, 2003, but refused the award

Scoops:

Other: Romantically involved with journalist and politician Denis MacShane



Books & Debate:
non fiction:
 * Clouds of Deceit: Deadly Legacy of Britain's Bomb Tests OCLC 12519392, 1985
 * Misogynies: Reflections on Myths and Malice OCLC 22116398, 1989
 * Hungry for You: From Cannibalism to Seduction - A Book of Food OCLC 40543306, 1996
 * Different for Girls: How Culture Creates Women OCLC 37694786, 1997
 * Moralities: How to End the Abuse of Money and Power in the 21st Century OCLC 48931070, 2001

novels in the Loretta Lawson series:
 * A Masculine Ending OCLC 182903811987, 1987
 * Why Aren't They Screaming? OCLC 18909675, 1988
 * Don't Leave ME This Way OCLC 22183528, 1990
 * What Men Say OCLC 29600967, 1993
 * Full Stop OCLC 33818860, 1995

(editor)
 * Femmes De Siècle: stories from the '90s : women writing at the end of two centuries OCLC 26930053, 1992

Latest work: What will survive (2007) OCLC 85830217 (novel)

Speaking/Appearances:

Current debate:The Diana moment: a change for the better? - 'Did Diana's death make Britain a more emotionally healthy country? Or was it just the first example of the trend to turn private grief into public spectacle?' Yes: Andrew Marr, No: Joan Smith - Prospect magazine debate, 6th July 2007 

The Independent:
Column name:

Remit/Info: Society, human rights, feminism, secularism

Section: Comment

Role: Commentator

Pen-name:

Email: [mailto:j.smith@independent.co.uk j.smith@independent.co.uk]

Website: http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/joan-smith

Commissioning editor:

Days published: Sunday and Friday

Regularity: Twice-weekly

Column format: Single subject

Average length:



Articles: 2012

 * When philanthropy endangers women's health - 1st July
 * Give the viewers a break, Jeremy Paxman - You can't hear some presenters without wishing they'd shut up - 28th June
 * When families fall out ... - Going public is a sign of impotence - 24th June
 * Why do we buy into this one-man psychodrama? - The Ecuador government will be a laughing stock if it takes the Assange death penalty sub-plot seriously - 21st June
 * Why is there no debate in Britain about the Falklands? - It would make a great deal more sense to open negotiations with Argentina and guarantee islanders the means to settle in the UK if they aren't happy with the outcome - 17th June
 * We wine and dine dictators who should be deposed - The choice in Syria may be military action or civil war - 10th June
 * Forced marriage - we can't ignore the shocking truth - Astonishingly, it is not a criminal offence in this country to force someone to get married - 8th June
 * Liberty, not bunting, makes me proud to be British - A few days ago, an open-topped sports car flying the Union Jack shot past me at a fair lick, and I wondered whether the driver had noticed the complete absence of demonstrative patriotism in my street - 3rd June
 * We all need the best health advice around - The problem in this country is how many adults ignore it altogether - 1st June
 * Oh, for the innocence of Donna Summer's hot love - She sang about love but what she really meant was sex - 20th May
 * Is this really how people should treat their pets? - Dr Johnson was famously sniffy about dogs walking on their hind legs. So I'm not sure he'd have been entranced by Pudsey, the mop-haired pooch who won Britain's Got Talent - 16th May
 * Bye-bye Mr Bombastic, and 'bienvenue' to Mr Normal - Exactly a year ago, an event took place which would have a sensational impact on politics in France - 13th May
 * Why are we paying for the PM's lawyers? - Many of the questions Cameron faces are about a personal relationship - 10th May
 * Bin Laden's just end – not the shooting, the henpecking - Imagine what it's like when an ex turns out not to be an ex, and wants to move in - 6th May
 * Mocking a speech defect – hilarious - The front page was in the same Sun tradition as calling Frank Bruno 'bonkers' - 3rd May
 * The G-spot is a myth - The weird thing is that women already have an organ of sexual pleasure - 26th April
 * Ask politicians about FGM, and lo, they are against it - Who cares about violence against women? Not just rape and sexual assault, which are big issues for all women, but the additional hazards, such as forced marriage, that face women from ethnic minorities - 22nd April
 * Let's keep the ambassadors' wives out of it - These women are now in the awkward position of trading on their husbands - 19th April
 * I'm tired of Christian hectoring. Get over it! - the Christian attempt to subvert Stonewall's slogan in support of gay marriage – "Some people are gay. Get over it!" – backfired spectacularly - 15th April
 * It's modern masculinity that's in trouble - Two-fifths of lap dancers say that customers are rude or abusive towards them - 12th April
 * It really is the taking part that counts - The Saudis tried to ban their women athletes from the Olympics. Now they have a new plan, but we shouldn't fall for that - 8th April
 * Jail is no place for mouthy drunks. Ask Liam Stacey - Have you heard about the guy who posted a racist message on Twitter? - 1st April
 * One TV show I won't be watching - There is a difference between sitting in the public gallery and seeing clips on TV - 29th March
 * The sea rises and democracy falls in the Maldives - Until four years ago, visitors were unwittingly supporting a nasty dictatorship where beatings and torture were routine - 25th March
 * Blame the victim – a classic with wife-beaters - The sexual revolution, second wave of feminism, and a raft of equality legislation seem to have passed the Dennis Waterman by - 21st March
 * A tyrant's wife is guilty too, as her emails show - If a novelist were trying to imagine the internal world of a brutal dictator, it seems likely that extravagance, sentimentality and self-pity would emerge as themes - 18th March
 * All is vanity – and it's gone viral over warlord Kony - The celebrities squaring up to Kony are responding not to facts but to the film's saccharine tone and its unashamed narcissism - 11th March
 * Kristy was a scapegoat for his vicious guardians - Every now and then, a murder trial exposes a depth of human cruelty so profound that it cries out for an explanation - 4th March
 * You try working in a cake shop, Mr Cameron... - I've worked in shops. I've bagged doughnuts, stacked shelves and been sacked from a Saturday job in a boutique. What did I learn from this experience? - 26th February
 * Occupy London struck a chord. But world events overtook its message - The movement has been better at saying what it is against than at offering solutions - 23rd February
 * Believe it or not, prayer has no place in democracy - I think God needs someone else to do his PR, instead of relying on Eric Pickles, Baroness Warsi and the Daily Mail - 19th February
 * It's not older women the BBC lacks. It's women in general - In recent weeks Radio 4's Today programme has come in for a pasting because so few of its interviewees are female - 12th February
 * The opposition in Syria needs our help, and now - Here is the brutal truth about Syria: no one knows what to do - 5th February
 * Strong religious belief is no excuse for intimidation - It's been a dreadful week for free speech. A meeting at a prestigious London college had to be abandoned on Monday evening when members of the audience were filmed and threatened by an Islamic extremist - 22nd January
 * I've waited for this ever since they told me I'd been hacked - Yesterday confirmed the degree of suspicion that was created between husbands and their wives - 20th January
 * The Big Society can be about more than cheap labour - Now, after 20 months of the coalition, we're beginning to get a sense of how the Big Society will operate - 15th January
 * Is Mrs Obama related to Miriam Clegg? - The New York Post raised the spectre of a woman making a covert bid for power - 10th January
 * The difference between write and wrong - Sending messages in a hurry is not malicious - 8th January
 * Marriage is worthwhile – but not at any price - The single most effective means of reducing the number of unhappy relationships is education - 4th January
 * I tried to bag a bargain, but I was outrun - Our writer wonders why sales shoppers are so mad for accessories - 1st January



Articles: 2011

 * Hitchens was witty and clever, but he was no secular saint - There is a kind of man – witty, dashing, raffishly handsome – who is attractive to both men and women. Lord Byron was one such, and so was the writer Christopher Hitchens, who died on Thursday - 18th December
 * Control can lead to family slaughter - Whenever one of these tragedies occurs, it always has a long history - 15th December
 * Filling your face with popcorn is not a human right - As a breed, Conservative politicians hate the nanny state. So do right-wing columnists, some of whom are still whining about the fact that they can't smoke in public places - 11th December
 * Dominique Strauss-Kahn is irresistible. Allegedly - It could happen to anyone, surely? You walk naked from the bathroom of your hotel suite and encounter a cleaner, who gives your genitals a seductive look - 4th December
 * A woman's place is off the pitch, is it? - The insidious bit excuses the 'experts' and places the blame firmly on the public - 1st December
 * There's a camaraderie among those of us who were victims - The 'core participant victim' on the day she gave evidence to the Leveson Inquiry - 22nd November 2011
 * The gullible Vatican rings up sales for Benetton - 20th November 2011
 * The dead we honour won our freedom to disagree - Joan Smith: I suppose I should by now be familiar with the phenomenon of coercive compassion - 13th November
 * 'Thoughts and prayers' don't do the job - The way the Norwegian prime minister responded to events earlier this year was exemplary - 8th November
 * Charlie, the fire-bombers, and a case of moral idiocy - In Tunisia a couple of months ago, I heard an academic speculate anxiously about the possibility that his country's elections would bring an Islamist party to power - 6th November
 * Scarlett isn't red-faced, why should she be? - There's nothing wrong with posing in the nude and I just wish more women felt comfortable enough with their bodies to do it - 3rd November
 * Debating the anti-capitalism protests - Laurie Penny says we are witnessing a brave challenge to greed and inequity. Joan Smith thinks that the protesters are self-congratulatory and will achieve nothing. So we set the pair to argue the matter out... - 30th October
 * A nosey passer-by could save a life like Yueyue's - Two days ago, a little girl died in hospital in China after being run over a week earlier by two vans - 24th October
 * A man who does his thinking in the park - Oliver Letwin seems unconcerned about how he looks to other people - 16th October
 * Is Tristane Banon's novel of a fictionalised DSK a wise move? - Such romans-a-clef have a chequered history – Lady Caroline Lamb's Glenarvon only succeeded in boosting Byron's reputation - 15th October
 * Press freedom and decent values can go together - Phone hacking is a symptom of a bullying aggressive newsroom culture - 14th October
 * Film star gets on with her job... - ... So why the disgust? - 9th October
 * Front-page Jacko pictures show red-tops' true colours - Even dead stars deserve some dignity - 2nd October
 * Amanda Knox is a witch? Sorry, are we living in 1486? - Witch hunts grew from a stew of emotions, notably fear of female sexual power. They have no place in a modern Italian court - 28th September
 * Assange cares for no one but himself - Neither whistleblower nor journalist, the hacker is a menace - 25th September
 * Casino banking does more damage than riots - Another week, another banking scandal - 18th September
 * It's the aristo that was the Bard – or maybe the giant lizard - Poor old William Shakespeare hasn't had much luck in movies - 4th September
 * What if women paid less tax? - There is an unacknowledged 'woman tax'. Attitudes are shaped by prejudice about men as breadwinners - 1st September
 * bad taste you can't beat a dictator'' - The closest I've come to a Kalashnikov was when someone presented me with a glass replica of an AK-47 filled with vodka - 28th August
 * rape victims must have flawless pasts to get justice'' - Sexual predators often choose their victims with care, selecting girls and women who are 'vulnerable' and likely to make less convincing witnesses - 24th August
 * dare to denounce dangerous trash'' - Fear of siding with the right against a corrosive celebrity culture forces liberal thinkers to tolerate questionable values - 21st August
 * results that should shock us'' - Pupils at private schools, which educate only 6.5 per cent of children, achieved 30 per cent of A* grades this year - 19th August
 * of empathy made it easier to rob'' - Mix violent street disturbances, angry politicians and 'experts' on youth culture and what do you get? - 14th August
 * prisons are not just inhuman, they don't work'' - Reports findings would be shocking in any civilised society - 11th August
 * or a forum for bullies?'' - What's the difference between saying what you think and bullying? - 7th August
 * 'Loyalty', truth and fiction are one and the same'' - I've never really believed Blair lied about why he wanted to go to war in Iraq - 30th July
 * warriors strike again'' - These are young men bigging themselves up in videos - 26th July
 * squares up to the Vatican'' - The exposure of clerical abuse in the worldwide Catholic church has been going on for decades - 24th July
 * leave it to journalists to dig up the dirt'' - When did British journalists start getting entangled with seedy private eyes? - 17th July
 * and her amazing cojones'' - The Deputy Prime Minister is married to a feminist - 14th July
 * Doherty is not a child'' - I suppose it's one way of seeing whether short prison sentences work - 10th July
 * myths about women who cry rape'' - Three months ago, Dominique Strauss-Kahn was one of the world's most powerful bankers - 7th July
 * out forensic science is criminal'' - Victims of crime deserve better than this jaw-dropping piece of scientific vandalism - 3rd July
 * all in this together, but is Charles?'' - Prince Charles' overall income rose by almost five per cent to £19.7m last year - 30th June
 * was right to question Milly's father'' - While the Dowler family deserves every sympathy, scrutiny of the victim's family life was a necessary part of the process - 26th June
 * me these fleeing artists'' - Panic stations! The UK's high tax regime is causing the country to bleed talent - 23rd June
 * luck, Hef – the bunny's hopped it'' - The jilting of the original Playboy - 19th June
 * is part of military culture...'' - ... a secret among soldiers - 12th June
 * au revoir to the cinq-à-sept, messieurs'' - The French political and cultural elite needs to ask itself an uncomfortable question - 5th June
 * Cam up till midnight! Outrageous!'' - I secretly hope she was just limbering up on Friday night - 31st May
 * humiliation is not justice. It's vengeance'' - I know we're all supposed to hate boring old judges who want to stop us posting our witty, scabrous or downright furious observations on Twitter - 29th May
 * for rape – men and myths that won't die'' - Let's talk about men behaving badly. No, actually, let's talk about rape and sexual aggression - 22nd May
 * case of Inspector Norse'' - Our writer hunts for clues for the popularity of Nordic writers - 15th May
 * moral authority died in Abbottabad'' - It isn't Hollywood. It isn't an action movie with Sylvester Stallone or Bruce Willis crashing through a window - 8th May
 * isn't sexy any more'' - President Reagan, Governor Schwarzenegger, but no PM Ignatieff - 5th May
 * fails – we should shame cruel regimes'' - What's happening to the Arab spring? - 1st May
 * phone may have been hacked...'' - ... So why wasn't I told? - 28th April
 * deserts Cameron'' - The PM's attack on benefit claimants incapacitated by drink, drugs and obesity laid bare his Tory soul - 24th April
 * women cover up...'' - ... it's what they reveal that matters - 20th April
 * demonise singles: there's a lot of us'' - More middle-aged men are living alone, according to new figures - 17th April
 * Middleton: once again, the lady vanishes'' - What on earth do the Windsors do to women behind closed doors? - 14th April
 * many times can a man turn his head?'' - Protest has given him a living, but Bob Dylan said nothing about Ai Weiwei when he meekly performed in China - 10th April
 * of the gloom of disasters shine the heroes who give us all hope'' - Inspirational bravery proves that human spirit can survive against the odds - 20th March
 * and happy? I am, and so are many others'' - Parents in the 30-39 age group are no happier than childless couples - 13th March
 * talk about sex – to children'' - Some people have sex on the brain... - 10th March
 * Lady Gaga belongs in a museum'' - Give that woman the Turner prize - 6th March
 * age of the muse may be over'' - Sometimes an obituary brings something into focus, not just about its subject's life but about the era in which he or she lived - 3rd March
 * royal wedding suits this celebrity age'' - With all eyes on a burgeoning princess, the Royal Family can cling unnoticed to its outmoded practices - 27th February
 * be too thin? Oh yes you can'' - Certain models are hugely in demand, despite looking malnourished - 24th February
 * is a house not a home? When it's a council house'' - We know how strongly the Conservative Party feels about where people live - 20th February
 * exploited and betrayed'' - Figures suggest that two women are killed each week by their partner - 17th February
 * became of mind your own business?'' - Lamenting the passing of privacy in the Facebook age - 12th February
 * perfect subject for an opera'' - Anna Nicole Smith was an adventuress and a self-made woman - 8th February
 * not called soft subjects for nothing'' - Higher tuition fees and rising graduate unemployment will bring a welcome reassessment of the purpose of universities - 6th February
 * gilded cage, but it's still slavery'' - I was going to buy a man this week, but then I saw the prices. I mean, what happened to the recession? Cashing in my Isa wouldn't get me anywhere near the going rate for the admittedly rather dishy Fernando Torres - 2nd February
 * lesson to Obama: prefer rights to tyranny'' - If you want to understand the extraordinary events in Egypt over the past few days, go to a novelist. Almost a decade ago, Alaa Al Aswany exposed the corruption and brutality of the regime of President Hosni Mubarak - 30th January
 * Celyn is a special case, what about the other 770,000?'' - Fifteen months ago, I chaired a meeting in the Commons for families with severely disabled children. Most were single parents, and some of their stories were horrendous. Lack of support and competition for scarce resources were common; one mother had become so desperate that she'd thrown herself from a bridge and, amazingly, survived - 23rd January
 * war of words claims terrible casualties'' - Someone turns on the TV and sees a politician being interviewed. He's never voted for her party, he disagrees with what she's saying and he doesn't like her hair. What does he do? He discovers her email address and lets her know what he'd like to do to a bitch like her - 16th January
 * do we get the service we deserve?'' - State of the British high street? It's rubbish. But don't take my word for it... - 14th January
 * inequality fosters abuse'' - Attitudes to women, rather than colour, are to blame for the behaviour of those who groomed girls with drink and drugs - 9th January
 * about telling men to stay indoors?'' - In the wake of Joanna Yeates's murder, why is the onus placed on women to make changes in their daily routine? - 5th January
 * Farrell was the original Daddy Cool'' - Boney M really did sing hypnotically about the murder of Rasputin - 2nd January



Articles: 2010

 * shouldn't be a dirty word'' - All that Christmassy stuff seems to bring out the worst in some individuals - 28th December
 * should button up and press on'' - At the beginning of this year, an earthquake struck Haiti - 26th December
 * Romans had different forms of marriage'' - Blair's eagerness to reduce discrimination against gay people created an unfair situation all round - 22nd December
 * me, you've dropped your green credibility'' - I used to have a beautiful pair of dark green suede stilettos, until I stepped in a horrible, sticky wad of chewing gum on my way home from a party. Not long after that, a friend arrived for dinner on a dark night and trailed dog faeces through the house, not realising she'd picked it up on her shoes - 19th December
 * misogyny leaked in full'' - Entranced by conspiracy theories, Assange supporters dusted down every trope about feminists, equality and rape - 9th December
 * and indignation are English specialities'' - A prince marrying a commoner, with time off for the serfs; two posh blokes and a squeaky-voiced footballer pleading for England to be allowed to host the 2018 World Cup; who says this country doesn't know how to present a bold modern face to the world? - 5th December
 * child deserves the classics too'' - A nymph reaches toward you with an outstretched hand, fish swim among classical urns and a Roman pavement unfolds on the sea bed: this is the underwater city of Baiae, situated in a bay north-west of Naples and visible only from a glass capsule suspended below a tourist boat. It's an eerie experience, making out the remains of the sumptuous baths built by the stuttering Emperor Claudius for his third wife, Messalina, but no more so than imagining the attempted murder in these same waters of Nero's mother, Agrippina - 2nd December
 * is back-to-basics at its monocultural, muscular worst'' - Fossilised fish-hooks, as Jennings used to say! I think I've finally grasped the Government's cunning plot for state education! They're going to take us back to the Fifties - 28th November
 * will come off worst in a Nobel prize fight'' - What most people remember about the 2008 Beijing Olympic games is the spectacular opening ceremony - 21st November
 * vanity could be his undoing'' - It would be an under-statement to say that image matters to the Camerons - 18th November
 * betrayed students should shout more loudly still'' - Student demonstrations? Let's have more of them - 14th November
 * Gordon can't stand the heat, he should at least keep it private'' - What few of these celebs stop to consider is that while public outbursts offer temporary balm, the long-term consequences may be disastrous - 11th November
 * has nothing to do with faith'' - Those that think it does are dangerous and delusional - 7th November
 * don't need an extra hour of darkness'' - Backing a Bill to save lives and energy, and lift spirits - 31st October
 * must be bad: feminists and the 'Daily Mail' agree'' - What has the Government got against women? Obviously gender equality isn't high on its to-do list, but even the most sheltered minister must have a wife, mother or sister – though possibly not ones on minimum wage - 24th October
 * with a dose of realism'' - Yesterday's ruling on pre-nuptial agreements treats couples on the threshold of marriage as responsible adults who have considered the possibility that their relationship won't last - 21st October
 * Blair was like an animal in bed, was it a hamster?'' - One of the very few conversations I ever had with Tony Blair was about sex. Years later, when I ran into him again at No 10, he didn't seem pleased to see me; the spark had gone, and I came to the conclusion that the Iraq war had come between us - 17th October
 * list is flattering but utterly flawed'' - The number of politicians on the Influential Women list is none, nil, zero - 12th October
 * the lifeboats! Women and children last!'' - The rage of middle-class Tory voters over child benefits is entirely predictable. The Prime Minister has only himself to blame - 10th October
 * want to be beside the seaside?'' - Because English weather is so unpredictable, resorts developed features to be enjoyed in cold and rain - 7th October
 * listen to the carping comments. The best man won'' - For the past couple of years, I've been telling anyone who would listen that the next leader of the Labour Party would be Ed Miliband - 3rd October
 * grinds science under its high heel'' - Research combining the words 'shoes' and 'women' always makes headlines - 26th September
 * take no lectures on ethics from Ratzinger'' - The child-abuse scandal engulfing the Catholic church has shocked even its most ardent followers. Yet the Pope, who can barely bring himself to apologise for it, dares to lecture us on the state of our morals - 19th September
 * stunts make faith look foolish'' - The fundamentalists who caused all the trouble ended up looking ridiculous - 12th September
 * barbarity that must be resisted'' - Despite accounts of beatings and rape, weirdly, Ahmadinejad's regime continues to have apologists - 8th September
 * problem is sense, not sexuality'' - Rumours circulated for years, but using Ffion to prop up his story is shocking - 5th September
 * defence of modern Britain'' - I've always thought it a bit rich for Christians to accuse other people of belonging to a 'culture of death' - 2nd September
 * do WAGs stay with men who play away?'' - So Tiger Woods, multi-millionaire golfer and recovering sex addict, is back on the market - 29th August
 * woman in the dock can be the victim too'' - The fanfare with which Ms Benaissa was arrested amounted to public humiliation - 22nd August
 * call sex-trafficking by its real name – slavery'' - There is no shortage of convicted sex-traffickers in English prisons - 15th August
 * Miliband may soon be in No 10. Believe it'' - The instability of the governing coalition could fast-track Labour's new leader - 25th July
 * show the humanity burkas lack'' - When a Romanian minister brought flood victims a gift of stilettos, she was giving them more than shoes - 18th July
 * the face of narcissism...'' - ... the police should stick to policing - 11th July
 * politics - as good as a seat in the House'' - The Deputy Prime Minister, Nick Clegg, launched an experiment in democracy - 4th July
 * about compensation for Bhopal?'' - Demands for a $20bn fund for victims of the Gulf oil spill sit uncomfortably with US attitudes to the Union Carbide disaster in India - 20th June
 * stop at students? Let's make children pay for school'' - It's an absolute scandal. Every day, hundreds of thousands of people are turning up at buildings provided by the state for free lessons in all sorts of subjects. They don't pay a penny, even though many of them are 12 or 13 years old and perfectly capable of taking out loans - 13th June
 * Bird 'normal'? He was a sexual predator'' - Normalising sex tourism doesn't just harm women in Asia – it leads people to see men like Derrick Bird as regular guys - 8th June
 * new women are Labour's USP'' - Joan Smith salutes Harriet Harman for wrongfooting the PM - 6th June
 * real cost of booze is rising fast'' - Just about everyone claims to dislike Britain's binge-drinking culture - 3rd June
 * the critics – 'Sex and the City' is still a hit'' - They're back – and once again hostile reviews miss the point - 30th May
 * is a child not a child?'' - Rituals are comforting: they create a sense of togetherness and help people cope with traumatic events - 26th May
 * was simply wedded to the wrong man'' - It's a weird business, going into opposition. I heard David Miliband talking about his mother on the radio last week, and he's never sounded more human – but then he doesn't have to worry any longer about how Gordon Brown might react - 16th May
 * the studio, in the House... where are all the women?'' - Was it a virus? Something weirdly gender-specific that incapacitated women for the duration of the election campaign? Day after day I turned on the television to find men interviewing men, men arguing with men, and men sitting on panels with men - 9th May
 * kids...leave them teachers alone'' - Between 2000 and 2006, there were 1,128 attacks on teachers - 2nd May
 * voting turned into shopping'' - One question I’ve heard most often is 'What are you going to do for me?' - 30th April
 * foresaw our treatment of Sharon Shoesmith'' - In George Orwell's novel 1984, there is a daily ritual known as the "two minutes' hate". Workers gather in front of a screen to watch images of enemies of the state - 25th April
 * are we quite so squeamish?'' - Death and post-mortem dissection affects so many people when they consider the subject of organ donation - 21st April
 * a proper drugs policy, a bit of honesty would be a start'' - At the beginning of this year, I hadn't even heard of it. Then mephedrone was linked with a number of deaths among young adults. Newspapers called for it to be banned and the course of events that followed was inevitable - 18th April
 * – the idealist turns assassin'' - What has changed the principled politician? - 11th April
 * we see what war does to those who wage it'' - Some combatants find war exciting. Adrenaline rushes become addictive - 8th April
 * delicate balancing act'' - The PM's talk of 'British values' seeks to reassure working class Labour voters, but does nothing to counter extremism - 4th April
 * the truth about paid-for sex'' - A man who uses a prostitute must be sure she is acting of her own free will - 1st April
 * for Murdoch: paid-for news keeps democracy alive'' - Not long ago, I heard a former government minister boast that he hadn't bought a newspaper for a decade. "I read them free on the net," he declared - 28th March
 * Vatican is a failing company'' - Imagine that you are a senior manager in a highly regarded organisation, responsible for many junior employees, some of whom you know personally. Their jobs put them in frequent contact with the public, and you trust them to work conscientiously - 21st March
 * woman's misery is another bookseller's joy'' - One pitch is to sell new authors by comparing them to well-known writers - 18th March
 * expectations for many, hard times for the old'' - A "death tax" sounds shocking: a cruel imposition on bereaved families who have enough to think about without having to hand over thousands of pounds to an unfeeling government. The phrase resurfaced last week, a month after the Tories' controversial poster – and Tory-supporting editors know that it strikes middle-class voters where it hurts: in their fantasy about every Briton's right to a substantial, property-based inheritance - 14th March
 * male-female divide gets worse'' - New research suggests men can expect a longer sex life than women - 11th March
 * spurious morality that turns Venables into a victim'' - The Sun's campaign may be popular with some readers but it's about retribution, not justice - 7th March
 * food revolution we still await'' - For all that Rose Gray did, much of what people eat is pre-cooked rubbish - 2nd March
 * march from minority to mainstream'' - Forty years ago, the first Women's Lib conference called for the transformation of prospects for girls - 28th February
 * had a sinister view of women's bodies'' - I wouldn't be surprised if many people were baffled last week when they heard fashion industry insiders responding to news of the death of the British designer, Alexander McQueen - 14th February
 * Amnesty shouldn't support Begg'' - A prisoner of conscience can turn into an apologist for extremism - 11th February
 * choice is the new corset'' - Katie Price has taken control of her life and is hailed as a role model, but she is no Simone de Beauvoir - 7th February
 * dismissed his children – that war generation did'' - When the author J D Salinger died on Wednesday at the age of 91, his obituaries were as one in crediting him with the invention of teenage angst. His only published novel, The Catcher in the Rye, is regarded as the quintessential expression of adolescent alienation, while his refusal to explain himself intrigued critics - 31st January
 * woman's sex addict is another woman's sex pest'' - Where are these sex clinics? What courses do they offer? Do I have to practise or can I book myself in straightaway, like Tiger Woods? - 24th January
 * liberal about defending burkas'' - These masks are a symbol of ideology, not a fashion statement - 19th January
 * takes on the BNP at its own game'' - The Government is finally seeing that poverty, lost jobs and lack of mobility lie behind the appeal of racists - 17th January
 * is out, but it's the BBC that is on the back foot'' - The single most important thing that happened last week, obviously, was the shock announcement that Jonathan Ross is leaving the BBC. His not-so-imminent departure – we have until the summer to prepare ourselves – was reported exhaustively, getting top billing on Radio 4's PM programme - 10th January
 * Carey's nostalgia for a country that never existed'' - Those fearful of population growth should call for more birth control - 7th January



Articles: 2009

 * boys at war with modernity'' - What is striking about these Islamists is that they are educated and very middle class - 28th December
 * behaving badly. Yet again'' - They scupper climate talks, jail dissidents and execute prisoners. Some leaders just don't care what the world thinks - 27th December 2009
 * all under one roof in the church of Cowell'' - I can't wait for the result of Strictly X Factor tonight. Since that lovely couple, Jedward I think they were called, were voted off last month, I've been rooting for that good-looking actor from Hollyoaks - 13th December
 * Sally Bercow were a bloke, she could be Mayor of London'' - She admits she drank too much at Oxford, had one fling after another in her twenties, and makes no secret of her political ambitions. After acknowledging all that in a newspaper interview, can Sally Bercow expect us to take her seriously? The Conservative MP Nadine Dorries certainly thinks not - 6th December
 * flawed minaret vote'' - The way the Swiss minaret debate was framed excluded those with reasonable concerns about the role of religion in public life - 30th November
 * not teddy, keeps a child safe at home'' - You couldn't make it up. First, it was compulsory sex education for teenagers. Now, five-year-olds are going to be taught it's wrong to beat women - 29th November
 * – an end to male-run faiths and 'honour' crimes'' - When demonstrators gathered in London yesterday to protest against sharia, the Archbishop of Canterbury was otherwise engaged with the Pope. It's almost two years since Rowan Williams caused an outcry when he suggested that recognising aspects of sharia would help social cohesion - 22nd November
 * now and why of Jimmy Choo'' - We've argued over the politics of high heels for decades. But like them or not, they're still potent signifiers of female sexuality - 20th November
 * is more deadly in the male'' - Men often choose violent methods of suicide and they're much more likely to succeed than women - 15th November
 * can religion not have played a part?'' - Major Hasan actions were the result of a clash between his profession and his faith - 8th November
 * Marlon King, kick sexism out of football'' - Until last week, Marlon King was just another overpaid Premier League footballer. Now he's in prison after being found guilty of a brutal assault on a student, and he's been sacked by his club, Wigan Athletic. The footballer is 6ft 1in, his victim just over 5ft, and she's still recovering from her encounter with a man who clearly can't control himself around women - 1st November
 * no mistake: sex trafficking is real'' - The debate is between those stuck in the 1960s and those of us with a modern view of rights - 29th October
 * Blair's babes, now it's Dave's dolls'' - Our writer mistrusts the Tory conversion to all-women shortlists - 25th October
 * 'don't ask' policy on torture demands some answers'' - Shortly after the suicide bombings on the East Coast in the autumn of 2001, a debate began in the US about whether it could ever be right to use torture to thwart further terrorist attacks - 18th October
 * benefits from hearing interviews with a paedophile?'' - Earlier this week, excerpts from a series of extraordinary tape recordings were played on BBC TV and radio - 15th October
 * abuse in prostitution'' - The archbishop of York is right – those who buy sex must take responsibility if the women they sleep with are coerced - 13th October (The Guardian: Comment is free)
 * sexual tolerance is wearing thin'' - Mitterrand: the minister who admits to using young prostitutes - 11th October
 * and send Tracey Emin away'' - Rich celebrities' threats to leave Britain over perceived fiscal iniquities are worse than risible to those who are truly suffering - 5th October (The Guardian: Comment is free)
 * stereotype sexual predators, and we get it wrong'' - Vanessa, Colin and Angela: they sound like inoffensive neighbours whom you might invite round for a drink. In fact, they're three of the worst paedophiles ever convicted in this country - 4th October
 * up, this was no rape-lite'' - Roman Polanski's celebrity friends need to reset their moral compass and stop excusing an unrepentant sex attacker - 29th September (The Guardian: Comment is free)
 * soldiers who can't help bringing their work home'' - The American army has various names for it: it's called "spousal aggression" or "intimate partner violence". These are posh terms for wife-beating - 27th September
 * expenses scandal – in lap-dancing clubs'' - Here's an expenses scandal, if ever there was one: taxpayers are subsidising companies which entertain their employees in lap-dancing clubs - 20th September
 * violation is sport's shame'' - Scrutiny of the athlete's physique is distasteful - 13th September
 * thing is certain with sharia... men make the rules'' - It's no surprise that Lubna Hussein has been convicted by a Sudanese court. Sudan's President, Omar al-Bashir, came to power in an Islamist-backed coup, and holds the distinction of being the first head of state to be indicted by the International Criminal Court on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity - 8th September
 * truth behind social networks'' - A psychological crutch and a repository for morons' anger. Our columnist despairs at the nastier side of the internet - 6th September
 * like Ted Kennedy got feminism off the ground'' - When the American feminist Betty Freidan published The Feminine Mystique in 1963, the book offered startling insights into the discontent of a generation of women who appeared to have made "good" marriages. Jackie Kennedy, widowed only three months earlier, was one of them - 30th August
 * and children defying the Taliban'' - The number of female pupils has gone up by more than 90 per cent - 23rd August
 * Forbes reveals about women and power'' - It is not to influential females that the Forbes list of most powerful women pays homage, but to the eternal might of money - 20th August (writing in The Guardian)
 * Baby P – in defence of social workers'' - Some commentators have rounded on professionals in the Baby P case again - 16th August
 * should be gender-neutral'' - Women will be allowed to box at the 2012 Olympics. That's great for gender equality, but might not be so good for the boxers - 15th August (writing in The Guardian)
 * your pecs away, Mr Putin – relax and read a book'' - He's been swimming in lakes, riding in mountains, camping in Siberia – and that was just one day of Vlad-imir Putin's summer break. A few days earlier, finding himself at a loose end, he dived in a mini-submarine and attached a transmitter to a whale - 9th August
 * power and a reality check'' - Harman is right to say what she did, and millions of women are cheering her on - 3rd August
 * has fallen in with the wrong crowd'' - A promise made to secure the top job is coming back to haunt Cameron - 19th July
 * Jamie Oliver can't change our eating habits, who can?'' - It's the story with everything: food, health, class and one of the country's biggest celebrities - 12th July
 * 'great' about Biggs's train robbery crime'' - Our writer argues that age and illness are not grounds for parole - 5th July
 * who does Prince Charles think he is?'' - Whatever else, he's no town planner - 21st June
 * outsmarts elegant in our warped politics'' - It was red! It was shiny! It was short! Listening to the chorus of outrage about Caroline Flint's fashion shoot in a women's magazine, I began to wonder if the former Europe minister had posed looking as sultry as Dita von Teese - 14th June
 * don't do female sacrifice any more, Prime Minister'' - It was a bloodbath. Last week, like a wounded warrior trying to appease vengeful gods, Gordon Brown sacrificed one woman after another in a desperate attempt to save his own skin - 7th June
 * has been bullied for her frank ambition'' - Blimey, have you noticed how quickly people get on their high horse these days? A week ago, the great and the good leapt on their steeds and galloped after Ruth Padel, newly elected Oxford professor of poetry, forcing her to stand down after only nine days in the post - 31st May
 * Guantanamo inmates into US'' - Obama needs a grand gesture to separate himself from Bush. He should offer shelter to detainees - 24th May
 * time India spoke up for Suu Kyi'' - The human rights activist once lived in New Delhi. Now her childhood home should come to her aid - 17th May
 * life is not all sex and Labradors, Liz'' - Elizabeth Hurley eats pets. Don't take my word for it: the piglet she hand-reared in the laundry of her country mansion last year is now in her freezer, she says, waiting to be roasted - 10th May
 * Thatcher years: a giant leap for women or a big step back?'' - The IoS columnists go head to head on the legacy of Britain's first female prime minister, who walked into Downing Street 30 years ago tomorrow - 3rd May
 * Président is petulant and out of his depth'' - Sarkozy is dwarfed by international politics - 19th April
 * I have measured out my life in chocolate'' - It may be a forbidden pleasure. But Joan Smith will be tucking in, whatever - 12th April
 * protesters don't throw bricks, they vote'' - Capitalism hasn't been overthrown and isn't likely to be - 5th April
 * sells everything – except safe sex'' - People aren't going to abstain, no matter what the Pope says - 29th March
 * are abused because men like Fritzl are believed'' - Even after the singular horrors of the 20th century, the case of Josef Fritzl has the power to shock. It seems unbelievable that an apparently ordinary man could imprison his own daughter in a home-made dungeon for 24 years, raping her thousands of times and forcing her to give birth to seven children, one of whom died as a result of his neglect - 22nd March
 * Britannia – it's service with a scowl'' - It used to be state-run industries which had a reputation for sullen service - 15th March
 * are rattled because their days are numbered'' - You don't often see a fugitive from justice ranting on primetime TV, so last week's pictures of Sudan's appalling president, Omar al-Bashir, were something to be savoured - 8th March
 * parent Bristol Palin tells it like it is'' - Calls for abstinence from sex are unrealistic - 1st March
 * the psychotic drivel, Qatada is serious about jihad'' - Idon’t mind people being furious about Omar Mahmoud Mohammed Othman, better known as Abu Qatada, as long as it’s for the right reasons - 22nd February
 * speech has to be for all, Home Secretary'' - We have to nothing to fear from listening to Wilders - 15th February
 * history may have cost her life itself'' - The tragedy of Ms Goody reflects ill on us all - 8th February
 * no end to the people the right loves to hate'' - If you believe in old-fashioned family values, it's hard to imagine a more provocative combination of words than "social worker" and "gay adoption" - 1st February
 * stilettos were out for Rachida Dati'' - Our writer blames jealous women for the fall of a high-flyer - 25th January
 * I hopped into bed with Minxy Malone'' - On why exploitation, not sex, is the problem with porn - 18th January
 * and sugar kill. And a good government says so, loudly'' - Defending the nanny state that keeps its people alive - 4th January



Articles: 2008

 * need us to wage war on ignorance'' - As long as girls' schools are under attack for spreading 'vulgarity', we have a role in Afghanistan - 28th December 2008
 * of a class-war crime'' - Gang rape is used by soldiers as a bonding exercise. And that's why rootless teenagers nearer home do it - 14th December 2008
 * no legal fix for the moral quandry of assisted suicide'' - People might be put under emotional pressure or even coerced - 11th December 2008
 * Britain is a media invention'' - There is no such thing as a failed society, only failing families. The rest are doing their best, despite their deprivations - 7th December 2008
 * can't blame a Nazi link for our own abuse case'' - As many older Austrians were enthusiastic Nazis, commentators were quick to assume that Josef Fritzl's behaviour shone fresh light on wounds in the national psyche - 30th November 2008
 * women are safer now, thanks to Jacqui'' - But how is it going to be enforced? - 23rd November 2008
 * gift to the people of France: our Olympics'' - I've had a brilliant idea for a new elite Olympic sport - 16th November 2008
 * enlightened? Yes. Liberal? No'' - The result of the US election is good news, but let's not get carried away - 9th November 2008
 * the most desperate man would use a woman as a weapon'' - Taunting Andrew Sachs with sexual images of his granddaughter was the cowardly act of men who believe they are in touch with youth. In reality, it is they who are behind the times - 2nd November 2008
 * are unfit company for friends of democracy'' - It's a high-risk business being an oligarch. In recent years, the word has lost its connotation of political power and become associated with astonishing levels of wealth, epitomised by the owner of Chelsea football club, Roman Abramovich - 26th October 2008
 * the WAGs buy bags. What do you buy, Rio?'' - We shouldn't forget the other people who bought into a spendthrift lifestyle - 19th October 2008
 * terrorist sponger?'' - No, a beneficiary of British fair play - 12th October 2008
 * afraid – Palin's weaknesses are her strength'' - 5th October 2008
 * let the Royals eat any more of our cake'' - 28th September 2008
 * women have gone where the men dared not'' - 21st September 2008
 * woman to make enlightened voters shudder'' - The US press is consumed with excitement at Sarah Palin, the Republicans' gun-toting, creationist vice-presidential hopeful. But in the eight-week countdown to the election, closer inspection of her candidacy could put an end to all this awestruck gushing - 7th September 2008
 * barbarism must be tackled head on'' - The EU should be prepared to take action against the murderous attitude towards anyone who squares up to Moscow - 31st August 2008
 * is how Labour can get itself re-elected'' - With another by-election looming in his own backyard, the Prime Minister needs to remember his party's principles if he is to win - Sunday, 17th August 2008
 * The Chinese heroes Brown and Jowell will not meet'' - Sunday, 10th August 2008
 * Everyone, it seems, has a theory about Madeleine - Friday, 8th August 2008
 * We all need time off. Only the reasons differ - New parents are entitled to leave, but singles, volunteers and the plain bored should be allowed to do something other than work - Sunday, 20th July 2008
 * Domestic violence is a crime society ignores - Friday, 18th July 2008
 * Russia shows contempt for human rights - The IoS columnist on the real reason her friend has been named a spy - Sunday, 13th July 2008
 * Macho politicians are turning back the clock - Friday, 11th July 2008
 * There's nothing poetic about Amy's self-destruction - Thursday, 26th June 2008
 * To clear your name, it helps to speak up - Why sexual assault is not a form of entertainment - Sunday, 22nd June 2008
 * There is only one route out of poverty - Thursday 12th June 2008
 * Vicious criticism of Hillary could deter future candidates - Sunday, 8th June 2008
 * So how many more women must die? - Thursday 5th June 2008
 * Sharon's lipstick diplomacy suits the Dalai Lama - Sunday, 1st June 2008
 * John Prescott is the Princess Di of politics - Wednesday, 28th May 2008
 * "Cars" is a four-letter word... - Our columnist cheers every time the cost of petrol goes up - Sunday, 25th May 2008
 * A portly nation is no laughing matter - Sunday, 18th May 2008
 * Success is no antidote to addiction - What the west London siege tells us about class - Sunday, 11th May 2008
 * Sex and the City: They're older - but are we wiser? - The Daily Telegraph, Thursday 8th May 2008
 * Medusa, bitch, witch, mad cow, DemocRAT... Why does America hate Hillary Clinton so much? - Sunday, 27th April 2008
 * J K Rowling and the quest for fair pay - Authors who receive nothing for their work - Sunday, 20th April 2008
 * Give thanks and praise for John McCain - Wednesday 16th April 2008
 * There are lies, damned lies and diary clashes - Sunday, 13th April 2008
 * What about those without any children? - Wednesday 9th April 2008
 * Civil partnerships could work for us all - Sunday, 30th March 2008
 * Medical advice is fine. But moral judgement is not - Thursday 27th March 2008
 * Poisoning the planet is not my idea of sport - Sunday, 23rd March 2008
 * Bullies love a weakling – and Heather fits the bill - Thursday, 20th March 2008
 * Sex, scandal and prehistoric attitudes (about: Eliot Spitzer) - Friday, 14th March 2008
 * 'Honour' killings are an outrage we must confront - Thursday, 6th March 2008
 * For a really healthy pay rise, consult your doctor - Sunday, 2nd March 2008
 * Murders that demand a radical shift in attitudes - Thursday, 28th February 2008
 * Venus is the difference between nudity and porn - Sunday, 17th February 2008
 * British women are already suffering from Islamic law - The Archbishop of Canterbury says sharia courts could rule on family issues, but this is exactly where they can cause most harm - Sunday, 10th February 2008
 * Christie gives a masterclass on growing up in style - Applauding the luminous young star who has matured wisely - Sunday, 3rd February 2008
 * Roll up, roll up... See the Incredible Vanishing Princess - Sunday, 20th January 2008
 * Sarkozy struts in Napoleon's clothes - France's taste for the flamboyant is being severely tested as the President shows off his trophy girlfriend Carla Bruni - Sunday, 13th January 2008
 * How to shock shoppers out of their wilful ignorance - Friday 11th January 2008



News & updates:


References:


Links:

 * New Statesman articles