Jenny McCartney



Profile:
Full name: Jenny McCartney

Areas of interest: Society, contemporary issues and social values; Cinema

Journals: The Sunday Telegraph

Email: [mailto:jenny.mccartney@telegraph.co.uk jenny.mccartney@telegraph.co.uk]

Personal website:

Website: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/columnists/jennymccartney

Blog: http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/author/jennymccartney

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Biography:
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Education: Keble College, Oxford: English Literature

Career: Has written for the Sunday Telegraph since 2000: apart from her weekly column also writes cinema reviews/interviews

Current position/role: Columnist and Film Critic


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The Sunday Telegraph:
Column name:

Remit/Info: Society, contemporary issues and social values - "Writing on a wide range of issues, Jenny McCartney offers hard-hitting analysis of social and political concerns and a witty deconstruction of modern celebrity culture."

Section: Features / Comment

Role: Columnist

Pen-name:

Email:

Website: Telegraph.co / Jenny McCartney

Commissioning editor:

Day published: Sunday

Regularity: Weekly

Column format:

Average length: 850 words



Articles:

 * Pity the children condemned to the care carousel - Thousands of children are trapped in a care and adoption system that needs a radical overhaul - 2nd October 2011
 * Bigging up the nation? Well, the best of British to you, Prime Minister - Let's advertise something we're really good at, like oddness. And crisps - 25th September 2011
 * We must not bring back the cane - Schoolchildren need discipline - but that does not mean a return to corporal punishment - 18th September 2011
 * While Galliano's outburst is publicly condemned, 'hate speech' becomes an online norm - In our curiously fractured society, moving from offline to online discourse is like ricocheting from Switzerland to the Wild West - 11th September 2011
 * Best of luck to Beyoncé - but we can't all be bumpylicious - Pregnancy used to be a chance to put your slightly swollen feet up. Now, it's a beauty parade - 4th September 2011
 * history, we have only ignorance'' - The failure of schools to teach history has helped create a wider crisis of identity - 28th August 2011
 * phone hacking scandal has hacked at the pillars of society'' - Like a probing finger in a rickety house, the scandal finds rot wherever it pushes - 21st August 2011
 * riots show that high-end goods make poor gods'' - The riots had little to do with politics and an awful lot to do with acquisition - 14th August 2011
 * Murdoch and the misfiring custard pie'' - Jonnie Marbles's attack on Rupert Murdoch showed pranksters at their worst - 24th July 2011
 * birth? No thanks, hospital labour ward gets my vote'' - Birth is the worst possible area in which any health service can skimp - 17th July 2011
 * the BBC's silence on immigration damaged the country'' - Mark Thompson's confession that the BBC shied away from subjects like immigration shows how an insidious culture of the unsayable took hold under Labour - 10th July 2011
 * Bourne and Heidi Withers: Why families should never go nuclear'' - Carolyn Bourne made a grievous mistake in commencing hostilities with her future daughter-in-law before the couple even made it up the aisle - 3rd July 2011
 * get bugged by germs'' - Ignore the stories about killer dishwashers - it is the human condition to be wrapped in bacteria, dust and mould - 26th June 2011
 * Fraill: Gossiping her way into jail'' - For juror Joanne Fraill, a trial became a soap opera to be played out on Facebook - 19th June 2011
 * primp children out of their innocence'' - The advent of Trendy Monkeys, a beauty and hairdressing salon for children in Essex, is not a welcome innovation - 12th June 2011
 * do the elderly so often bear the weight of neglect in our hospitals?'' - A new report from the Care Quality Commission shows an insidious contempt for the elderly in the health system - 29th May 2011
 * Queen in Ireland: a majestic turning point'' - The Queen's tour of Ireland demonstrated exactly why it's a good idea to have a monarch as head of state - 22nd May 2011
 * 'Slut Walks' a backwards step?'' - Our hyper-sexualised society is sending out dangerously mixed signals to young people - 15th May 2011
 * Mould and the curse of the poison pen'' - The internet is making anonymous abuse far easier and far more tempting - 8th May 2011
 * let the Union drift apart'' - The triumph of Alex Salmond and the SNP shows how the emotional glue that binds Britain together is dissolving - 7th May 2011
 * wedding: Kate Middleton's lesson for British women'' - The story of Britain over the past decade has been a tale of three Kates - Moss, Price and Middleton - 1st May 2011
 * the parents poor, or just poor parents?'' - In some families the poverty seems to be of child-rearing instincts, rather than of material means - 17th April 2011
 * Mr Clegg, spare us the sob story'' - If the Deputy Prime Minister wanted to be universally liked and admired, he shouldn't have gone into politics - 10th April 2011
 * Gove has a point - we need to make reading a thrill'' - The best way for children to learn about the world is through classic works of literature - 3rd April 2011
 * less-than-grand old Duke of York'' - Prince Andrew should be stripped of his role as UK special envoy for trade before he stains the Royal family's reputation further - 13th March 2011
 * ideal home can be a perfect prison'' - Modern women are feeling the pressure to have a glamorous home and lifestyle. But what's wrong with a bit of healthy chaos - 6th March 2011
 * reform should tackle the cheats at the top as well as the bottom'' - Greedy MPs and rapacious bankers are just as dishonest as welfare fraudsters and freeloaders - 20th February 2011
 * and the Beast' shows why we shouldn't take people at face value'' - The contrast between Susan Campbell Ducan and Sarah Burge is illuminating in the extreme - 13th February 2011
 * slimmer Britain? Fat chance'' - Super-sizing might have become the British way of life, but we’re paying a steeper price every day - 6th February 2011
 * shouts will reverberate'' - Yelling can be 'emotional abuse’, which is now 'domestic violence’ - 30th January 2011
 * Baroness Warsi waxes distinctly fuzzy'' - Baroness Warsi's speech on Islamophobia was packed with sanctimonious generalities - 23rd January 2011
 * shocking how normality can vanish in a flash'' - The Brisbane floods and the honeymoon murder in Mauritius show how precarious life really is - 16th January 2011
 * soap opera like EastEnders is not the place to dramatise cot death'' - EastEnders crowbarred a sensitive issue into a cheap and melodramatic seasonal panto - 9th January 2011
 * five-point plan for a happier Britain'' - Banning self-service tills and more men in hats will make Britain a better place - 26th December 2010
 * problem with pester power'' - The woman who is suing McDonald's over the toys in Happy Meals has a point - 19th December 2010
 * fees demo: We protested, they ran riot'' - Reasonable, peaceful souls were in the majority at the protest march against the trebling of fees, but we were not in control - 12th December 2010
 * Gove should give kids a sporting chance'' - Cutting sport in school now would be like scrapping the oven before Christmas - 5th December 2010
 * EU has got too big for its boots'' - The European Union's ruling on giving British prisoners the vote is a blatant breach of our sovereignty - 28th November 2010
 * had the party - now for the hangover'' - Jenny McCartney asks how this week's humiliation will affect the national psyche - 21st November 2010
 * Ramsay should put down the media megaphone'' - We are being beckoned in to watch his family crumble - 14th November 2010
 * kids - the party's over'' - Tuition fees are an unfair burden on the younger generation - 7th November 2010
 * Cherie Blair's eBay habit a model of thrift or miserliness?'' - Cherie Blair's transactions on eBay can show us the dangers of living within our meanness - 31st October 2010
 * wins should be serious, not silly money'' - Many more lottery prizes of a modest million or two might make for a happier nation - 24th October 2010
 * Balls and Yvette Cooper-Balls share a life - but can they share an office?'' - The Balls-Coopercouple may have failed in their bids to become shadow chancellor, but this competitive marriage will continue to fascinate us - 10th October 2010
 * Miliband shows why ladies need gentlemen'' - The definition of a gentleman is being debated once again, and about time too - 3rd October 2010
 * Commonwealth Games debacle wounds the pride of India'' - No one could be more furious than Indians themselves at the shambles of the Commonweatlth Games in Delhi - 26th September 2010
 * visit: Is Richard Dawkins turning into Ian Paisley?'' - In his criticisms of the Pope, Richard Dawkins is sounding suspiciously familiar - 19th September 2010
 * animals is just plain cruel'' - One of the most melancholy sights last week was that of Oshine, the vastly overweight orang-utan - 11th September 2010
 * all in the diary room now'' - We have seen the fastest shift in history in our approach to privacy - 11th September 2010
 * boys really the weaker sex?'' - Little girls already see themselves as academic front-runners, but often the rebel boy wins out in the end - 5th September 2010
 * - and sadly typical'' - War veterans must wonder at the use we make of the freedom they fought for - 29th August 2010
 * and Rihanna's brutality chic is a bit beyond me'' - Why are Emimen and Rihanna romanticising domestic violence - 21st August 2010
 * Hilton and the hair-raising cost of modern beauty'' - The lawsuit against Paris Hilton over her hair extensions shows how big a business artificial beauty has become - 15th August 2010
 * Duncan Smith aims to dismantle the benefits trap'' - At long last, it really might be time to listen to the quiet man - 1st August 2010
 * Holmes swims against a tide of teasing'' - When it comes to impressions of Eamonn Holmes, the problem's alimentary - 25th July 2010
 * Moat and the unacceptable face of Facebook'' - In David Cameron's clash with Facebook we can see the key cultural question of our time - 18th July 2010
 * does the world buy into Tony Blair?'' - It's hard to stomach the sight of the former prime minister jetting furiously around the world, picking up prizes - 3rd July 2010
 * volcano claims another victim: General McChrystal'' - When the ash cloud threw the American commander and a journalist together it was bound to end badly - 26th June 2010
 * bump is it anyway?'' - As a breath-test is proposed to find pregnant smokers, Jenny McCartney argues that if you want a life free from nanny-state intrusion you'd best sidestep babies altogether - 26th June 2010
 * death of polite society'' - If we remove our taboos, the worst aspects of humanity are unleashed - 19th June 2010
 * Inquiry: The only winners were the IRA'' - The Saville Inquiry will do little to dispel the shadow cast by Bloody Sunday - 13th June 2010
 * you sick of therapy?'' - Sarah, Duchess of York's appearance on Oprah showed how the dreaded therapy-babble has spread like a virus across the world - 6th June 2010
 * heaven won't wait'' - Younger women talk of the wisdom of having children earlier - 30th May 2010
 * New Posh takes charge'' - Whereas Old Posh was sneering and superior, New Posh is humble and thoughtful - 16th May 2010
 * Election 2010: Why does Britain seem so silly?'' - Too much of the sweet stuff has left us in terrible shape - 9th May 2010 (General Election 2010)
 * padded bikinis: leave our kids alone'' - As the row deepens over the sexualising of our children, Jenny McCartney sees signs of parents fighting back - 19th April 2010
 * horrible bingo of growing old'' - Treating a child in the same way we treat our elderly would lead to criminal proceedings - 12th April 2009
 * awful truth about 'happy endings''' - The founder of Dignitas has revealed his profoundly shocking attitudes towards death - 5th April 2009
 * your life really better for being Twittered?'' - Famous people seem just as keen on Twitter as the rest of us - 29th March 2009
 * in a state of sexual confusion'' - The line has blurred between information and tacit encouragement - 29th March 2009
 * Ireland: Disgust alone will not stop the killing'' - One lesson of the Troubles is that violence makes its own momentum - 15th March 2009


 * Myerson, please leave us in the dark'' - Writers like Jake Myerson's compulsively indiscreet mother should not forget the value of privacy - 15th March 2009
 * Myerson: Don't write your loved ones out of your life story'' - It might be fashionable to shine a bright light in family emotions, but some things are best left in the dark - 8th March 2009
 * illusions will cost more than financial ones'' - Under Labour, our exam system has been turned into a hollow game of bluff. We're about to pay the price - 8th March 2009
 * Harman fails in the court of public opinion'' - The deputy Labour leader did herself no favours by attacking Sir Fred Goodwin's pension - 8th March 2009
 * brain prefers to go for a gentle stroll'' - Can't Nicole Kidman just read a book? - 1st March 2009
 * Slumdog Millionaire children take a message back to Mumbai'' - Real life in the slums of India, it seems, is no less dramatic than the films - 1st March 2009
 * her dignity in dying, Jade Goody shows us all how to live'' - By the courageous manner of her very public last days, the former Big Brother hate object has finally earned our respect - 22nd February 2009
 * may not cost much but it certainly isn't cheap'' - The cocaine trade turns people into throwaway human containers. That alone should make it unacceptable - 22nd February 2009
 * past has such comforting outlines'' - The return of Mad Men is making men yearn for a time when they could chain smoke in the office and openly ogle the trainee, but it's selective nostalgia - 15th February 2009
 * has left these parents in hell'' - A couple whose children were wrongly taken away from them are caught in a cat's cradle of paradoxes - 15th February 2009
 * Bale's irresistible invective'' - There's something strangely fascinating about uncontrolled rage - 8th February 2009
 * hero is a zero at home'' - Tony Blair may be basking in Barack Obama's adulation but his reputation in Britain is on the rocks - 8th February 2009
 * row: It's not what you say, it's where you say it'' - Carol Thatcher's remark was crude and foolish, but it has to be taken in context - 8th February 2009
 * save our tears for victims, not terrorists'' - It is wrong and foolish to pretend that all those killed in the Northern Ireland Troubles are the same - 1st February 2009
 * self-belief makes us look battered and tired'' - US voters have once again shown their appetite for national reinvention - 25th January 2009
 * some point in your thirties you stop being a teenager'' - Wendy Brown may have passed as a teenage cheerleader at 33, but at some point all of us have to accept we've grown up - 18th January 2009
 * route through the minefield of race'' - I learnt through experience which words cause offence, but Prince Harry and his family are more sheltered - 18th January 2009
 * disrupt public transport'' - Disrespect for the travelling public is ingrained in the system - 12th January 2009
 * up the pipe dreams and recivilise Britain'' - We can’t ride with bulging wallets into dusty little towns in the Dordogne any more, says Jenny McCartney, so we'd better make the most of what we've got - 4th January 2009
 * Cruise O’Brien: farewell to Ireland's restless conscience'' - The death last Thursday of Conor Cruise O’Brien, the Irishman with a rolling poem of a name, felt like the closing of a chapter in history - 21st December 2008
 * Ewert suicide documentary shows the face of death by the light of mourning'' - The bereaved often find they are floundering alone, uncertain what they are allowed to feel - 14th December 2008
 * eradicate parenting for profit'' - One of the saddest details to emerge from the Shannon Matthews trial were the little notes written to the girl's elder brother - 7th December 2008
 * crisis means a thrifty Christmas'' - Now that self-preservation is uppermost in many people's minds, the desire to shop is fast withering - 30th November 2008
 * convictions, but maybe some doubts'' - There is one near certainty about the new law on prostitution introduced by Jacqui Smith: it will be tricky to convict anyone under it - 23rd November 2008
 * demonise the council? Why not?'' - one thing disturbed almost everyone shortly after they had absorbed as many details of the "Baby P" case as they could stand - 16th November 2008
 * Obama: Even the best president ends up with blood on his hands'' - 9th November 2008
 * Ross and Russell Brand, we are not amused at the degrading of Andrew Sachs'' - 2nd November 2008
 * they know about sex at five?'' - One thing stumps me about the news that the Government is to provide compulsory "sex and relationships" lessons for children from the age of five: how much can there really be to say? - 26th October 2008
 * leaves room for mercy'' - Few who read the story of Daniel James could experience anything but deepest compassion - 19th October 2008
 * children: a decision for parents'' - the chatisement of children, the capitalism of John Lennon and the secret love of hot water bottles - 12th October 2008
 * Tarantino should learn from the banker Frank McGarahan'' - on the lessons to be drawn from the banker murdered in Norwich for defending a homeless man - 5th October 2008
 * Brown's speech had no small print'' - When assessing a Prime Minister's competence, his wife is the last person one should listen to - 28th September 2008
 * crisis: A peasant's eye view'' - 21st September 2008
 * structure is no excuse'' - An obsession with 'equality' keeps our children down - 14th September 2008
 * goddess, just imagine'' - Full-time motherhood has long been a unsung job, but its new heavily-glossed image is deceptive - 7th September 2008
 * Goody faces up to reality'' - ...on Jade Goody, Richard and Judy, and Gary Glitter - 24th August 2008
 * warfare is just not classy'' - Jenny McCartney contemplates the underclass, defends Prince Charles, and sympathises with Peaches Geldof - 17th August 2008
 * cannot take it any more'' - British protesters in Beijing, celebrity pregnancy, and the minefield that is English spelling - 10th August 2008


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