Matthew Parris



Profile:
Full name: Matthew Francis Parris

Area of interest: Politics, world affairs, history and travel

Journals: The Times and The Spectator

Email:

Website: TimesOnline / Matthew Parris

Blog:

Representation: Gordon Poole; Speakers UK; Speakers Corner

Network:



Biography:
Education: Clare College, Cambridge: Law (first class degree); Yale: International Relations

Career: Worked at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office for two years; joined the Conservative Party Research Department CRD, becoming Margaret Thatcher's correspondence secretary, 1977/79; elected as the Conservative MP for West Derbyshire, 1979/86; surrendered his seat in 1986, commencing a media career: Presenter of London Weekend Television’s Weekend World - taking over from Brian Walden - for two years; Parliamentary sketchwriter for The Times, 1988/2001
 * Currently writes a diary piece (Thursday) for The Times, and a column for both The Times and The Spectator

Current position/role: Columnist


 * also writes/written for:

Other roles: Author

Other activities: Led expeditions to Mount Kilimanjaro in 1967/1989, Zaire in 1973, Sahara in 1978, also to Peru and Bolivia; spent the Antarctic winter of 2000 on the French possession of Grande Terre (Desolation Island) in the Kerguelen Archipelago in the Indian Ocean

Disclosures:

Viewpoints/Insight:
 * My first job: Life as a diplomat
 * Lynn Barber: Sketches of pain The Observer, 29th September 2002
 * James Silver: Lonely prophet of shampoo Toryism The Independent, 3rd July 2006

TV/Radio: Presents BBC Radio 4's biography series Great Lives (Wiki info), Great Lives (BBC Radio 4)
 * see IMDb

Audio: BBC News - What lessons Gibbon may have for Britain, its politicians and its institutions? The Gibbon Test

Controversy/Criticism: Revealed Peter Mandelson was gay in Newsnight interview with Jeremy Paxman following the Ron Davies' scandal, consequently sacked as a columnist on The Sun by then editor, David Yelland

Awards/Honours: London Press Club's Edgar Wallace Outstanding Reporter of the Year Award, 1990; British Press Awards Columnist of the Year, 1991 and 1993; What the Papers Say Columnist of the Year, 1992; National newspaper category in the annual media awards given by the Institute for the Study of Drug Dependency, 1994; Writer of the Year in Granada Television's What the Papers Say Awards, 2004

Scoops:

Other: In a civil partnership with political journalist Julian Glover



Books & Debate:
Subjects cover politics and travel, and his autobiography, Chance Witness, winner of the Orwell Prize, 2004: Coping with the Soviet Union (with Peter Blaker, Julian Critchley), (Conservative Political Centre Bookshop, 1977) ISBN 0-85070-599-1; Inca Kola: A Traveller's Tale of Peru (Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 1990) ISBN 0-297-81075-8; So Far So Good...: Selected Pieces (Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 1991) ISBN 0-297-81215-7; Look Behind You!: Sketches and Follies from the Commons (Robson, 1993) ISBN 0-86051-874-4; Scorn: A Bucketful of Discourtesy, Disparagement, Invective, Ridicule, Impudence, Contumely, Derision, Hate, Affront, Disdain, Bile, Taunts, Curses and Jibes (Hamish Hamilton, 1994) ISBN 0-241-13384-X; Scorn with Added Vitriol (Hamish Hamilton, 1995) ISBN 0-241-13587-7; Great Parliamentary Scandals: Four Centuries of Calumny, Smear and Innuendo (Robson Books, 1995) ISBN 0-86051-957-0; Read My Lips: A Treasury of Things Politicians Wish They Hadn't Said (Parkwest Publications, 1997) ISBN 1-86105-043-7; I Couldn't Possibly Comment: More Sketches from the Commons (Robson Books, 1997) ISBN 1-86105-095-X; Scorn with Extra Bile Matthew Parris (editor) (Penguin Books, 1998) ISBN 0-14-027780-3; The Great Unfrocked: Two Thousand Years of Church Scandal (Robson, 1998) ISBN 1-86105-129-8; Against the Law: The Classic Account of a Homosexual in 1950s Britain Peter Wildeblood, Matthew Parris (introduction) (Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 1999) ISBN 0-297-64382-7; I Wish I Hadn't Said That: The Experts Speak - and Get It Wrong! Matthew Parris (foreword), Christopher Cerf, Victor Navasky (HarperCollins, 2000) ISBN 0-00-653149-0; Off Message: New Labour, New Sketches (Robson Books, 2001) ISBN 1-86105-479-3; The King's English (Oxford Language Classics Series) Henry Fowler, Frank Fowler, Matthew Parris (introduction) (Oxford University Press, 2002) ISBN 0-19-860507-2; Chance Witness: An Outsider's Life in Politics (Viking, 2002) ISBN 0-670-89440-0; A Castle in Spain (Viking, 2005) ISBN 0-670-91547-5; Mission Accomplished!: A Treasury of the Things Politicians Wish They Hadn't Said (with Phil Mason) (JR Books Ltd, 2007) ISBN 1906217351; Nobody's good fortune: the autobiography of John Lang (Introduction) (Grosvenor House Publishing, Ltd. 2008) ISBN 1906210977

Latest work: Scorn: the anthology OCLC 233788894, 2008

Speaking/Appearances:

Current debate:



The Times:
Column remit: Politics

Section: Features

Role: Commentator

Pen-name:

Email:

Website: TimesOnline / Matthew Parris

Commissioning editor:

Day published: Saturday

Regularity: Weekly

Column format:

Average length: 1300 words


 * see also Diary on Thursday



Articles:

 * with competition? Your choice, comrade'' - We enjoy the fruits of capitalism yet despise the free market. It’s the duty of ministers to be honest and defend it - 11th June 2011
 * to have anarchy than a media gagged'' - Privacy be damned. In deciding what can be allowed into the public domain, all that matters is: ‘Is it true?’ - 21st May 2011
 * despot doesn’t mean rising democracy'' - In Africa, where the Big Man still holds sway, only wealth and the rule of law will break the cycle of dictatorship - 14th May 2011
 * down, dears. Nothing much has changed'' - The Lib Dem drubbing was to be expected, as was Labour’s modest headway. There’ll be no concessions, no elections - 7th May 2011
 * the monarchy game, only the bland survive'' - Prince William is said to be ‘straightforward’. It’s a good start for a man who must wear the mantle of others’ hopes - 30th April 2011
 * Lib Dems don’t deserve consolation prizes'' - If Nick Clegg loses the AV vote, David Cameron may be tempted to offer reparations. This would be disastrous - 23rd April 2011
 * uniform says that you’re rejecting me'' - What’s the real reason we find burkas objectionable? It goes much deeper than simply not seeing people’s faces - 16th April 2011
 * we really judge the past by the present?'' - The Empire had to use violence at times. But the hushing up proves that officials knew they had crossed a line - 9th April 2011
 * no time for the Opposition to lose its Ed'' - Is constant carping at the leader really valid? Be careful, Labour; Miliband is a decent man doing a good job - 2nd April 2011
 * right thing to do isn’t always the best thing'' - It’s the cliché you can’t escape. But to discover how to act properly we need to look beyond our own hearts - 26th March 2011
 * mustn’t pass up the chance to do nothing'' - A no-fly zone sounds so reassuring, but what then? A little mission creep and Libya will become another Iraq - 12th March 2011
 * rattle and roll on a low-speed rail link'' - Thailand Notebook: the scene as we passed a market inches from our train would have graced a Bond movie - 5th March 2011
 * there’s no will, there’s no way to express it'' - Which system gives most voters what they really want – Australia’s AV or our first-past-the-post? Neither - 26th February 2011
 * Beijing won’t take all of our pies'' - The West’s nervy reaction to China’s scramble for African resources is misplaced paranoia. Just ask the Russians - 19th February 2011
 * best policy on Egypt: leave them to it'' - The Arab world’s turmoil is momentous, yet the Foreign Secretary says little and does less. Quite right too - 12th February 2011
 * guide to fighting those wicked Tory cuts'' - From Agreement to Zealotry via Joanna Lumley, here are the strategies for defending your special case - 5th February 2011
 * out – Gordon’s gang are back in town'' - When sane men walked away, Ed Balls and Ed Miliband stayed. Remember that when they squeal about cuts - 29th January 2011
 * can’t change his spots. Nor can Ed Balls'' - Forget Tory resignations or the trials of Tony. The irresistible rise of the new Shadow Chancellor is what really matters - 22nd January 2011
 * parties must swim or sink together'' - Labour-sympathising Lib Dem voters are a lost cause. After Oldham the only hope for the partners is to do a deal - 15th January 2011
 * have no faith. But I might be the Messiah'' - I recognise the voice that speaks of religious revelations because I have heard it myself. And learnt to distrust it - 8th January 2011
 * kid yourselves. There must be victims'' - All governments fantasise about being liked by everyone. But being unpopular will be a great spur for the coalition - 1st January 2011
 * trumpet pieties, but whisper the truth'' - There may be comfort in false platitudes on war, drugs and Western values, but they lead to folly and danger - 19th December 2010
 * tuition fee vote is won. The argument isn’t'' - Rioting can catch on. If the Government isn’t to lose momentum, it must keep on forcefully making its case - 11th December 2010
 * Clegg deserves to win his two big bets'' - Siding with protesters is in the Lib Dem DNA. Salute the Deputy PM for daring to ally himself with power - 4th December 2010
 * it, we’re bit players on the world stage'' - We don’t have the men, the money or the machines to fight alongside the US in the Pacific. Thank goodness - 27th November 2010
 * a coalition creature, not a Tory man'' - Modified rapture is the best the Prime Minister gets from his tribe. It’s the likes of Lord Young that get them roaring - 20th November 2010
 * out. The political map is being redrawn'' - Old allegiances are shifting, boundaries are changing. These are uncharted waters for our party leaders – and us - 13th November 2010
 * terrorism become a weird kind of game?'' -Al-Qaeda concentrates on glamorous, high-tech targets when it could cause low-tech chaos far more easily - 6th November 2010
 * retreat, but prepare for the unexpected'' - We cannot shirk housing benefit reform but ministers must move fast when it throws up local difficulties - 30th October 2010
 * isn’t about arithmetic, it’s about morality'' - There is a deep belief that the deserving do not get their deserts. So why doesn’t the coalition come out and say it? - 23rd October 2010
 * moment of truth is upon us. No, it isn’t'' - Forget all the clichés about turning points. Britain won’t feel different after next week’s spending review - 16th October 2010
 * not the unfairness you mind. It’s the money'' - Yes, the child benefit cuts are unequal, but what are you really cross about? Or would it seem too selfish to say? - 9th October 2010
 * do have ideology – and they’ll need it'' - Fear, hunger and greed (within limits) are part of Tory doctrine, but we need to highlight our optimistic side too - 2nd October 2010
 * Ed. Losing isn’t the end of the world'' - The Miliband brothers have only one aim in life. But for our best leaders there has always been a Plan B - 25th September 2010
 * until the Centre wins out'' - I agree with Nick (Boles): the Lib Dem Left and the Tory Right need to buckle down or bail out of the coalition - 18th September 2010
 * gallant MPs fail to clear the fog of war'' - The stage was set for a great debate about our Afghan adventure. But hark, is that the sound of uncertainty? - 11th September 2010
 * to believe doesn’t prove God exists'' - As science snaps at religion’s heels, defenders of the faith are left with one last argument. And it doesn’t hold up - 4th September 2010
 * himself? He can’t really be bothered'' - Despite its curious frankness, Blair’s memoirs leaves the answers to awkward questions hanging in the air - 2nd September 2010
 * you want to save the planet, stop breeding'' - While we recycle tins, Bolivian farmers’ alpacas munch through trees. Global population must come down - 28th August 2010
 * the retirement age to 70? No. Make it 30'' - The tick-box tribunal is a burden on business. Make it easier to sack staff - 7th August 2010
 * the Thames at night – by breaststroke'' - After years of talk, I finally took the plunge. But my journey in vest and trunks didn’t quite go to plan - 31st July 2010
 * the Lib Dems some slack on voting reform'' - Tory crusaders for first-past-the-post must not pounce on their partners - 24th July 2010
 * Hirohito, we need the words for defeat'' - Buried truths are showing in Afghanistan. Soon we must face them - 17th July 2010
 * must harden our hearts and our borders'' - The Geneva Convention has had its day. It is far too easy for millions to claim asylum - 10th July 2010
 * the double-dip propaganda machine'' - The coalition must prepare to defend its economic policies - 3rd July 2010
 * heart we are all competitive. Ask the bees'' - There are no ‘losers’ in society? Nonsense – watch The Times spelling contest - 26th June 2010
 * I cut because I want to, not because I have to'' - The Chancellor should say that he wants to wield the knife regardless of the deficit’s size - 19th June 2010
 * must know our mission is doomed'' - Cameron and Clegg have made a calculation: sacrifice more soldiers in Afghanistan to keep on side with the US - 12th June 2010
 * choice for Labour leader? None of the above'' - I’ve been awfully rude about Harriet Harman and I meant it. But she would be best for the party right now - 5th June 2010
 * foul hypocrisy of David Laws’ downfall'' - The Chief Secretary did not have to resign. The media conspired to bring it about - 31st May 2010
 * mention for that special forces chap'' - A Liberal Democrat on the Treasury Bench! And to the manner born - 28th May 2010
 * programme is no guide to the real show'' - The coalition’s agenda is lucid and laudable, but it is the character of its leaders that will shape the next five years - 22nd May 2010
 * political earthquake in the rose garden+'' - It almost felt as if a divine hand was at work, bringing together two men to blow away years of staleness - 13th May 2010
 * hand is strong and he’ll play it well'' - The Tories can do business with the Liberal Democrats. But the way ahead is fraught for Nick Clegg’s party - 8th May 2010
 * squawk for change – but we don’t mean it'' - The ugly truth is that change means cuts, cuts and more cuts. That’s why we are so angry with politicians - 1st May 2010
 * prop up Brown? He wants to kill him'' - The Lib Dem leader has a mission: the Labour Party has betrayed progressive politics. It must be destroyed - 24th April 2010
 * have so many tuned in to be turned off'' - This mood of anti-party, aggressive apathy is dangerous to the Tories. David Cameron must confront it urgently - 17th April 2010
 * the Tories play their trump card too soon?'' - By promising to ditch the national insurance rise, Cameron and Osborne are vulnerable to a deadly counter-attack - 10th April 2010
 * e-mail really is deadlier than the mail'' - My inbox makes more work than my in-tray ever did, but would I go back to paper? Please don’t reply - 3rd April 2010
 * our job to be angry. MPs must offer a plan'' - Cameron’s Captain Haddock rant was fun, but voters are anxious and ready for firm ideas. Where are they? - 27th March 2010
 * this day forward, reward married couples'' - Everyone except a sour minority knows that marriage is good for society. Any gay man will tell you so - 20th March 2010
 * will never stick with a Con-Libpact'' - Nick Clegg thinks a hung Parliament offers a bold new way to govern. The voters would see it as a failure - 13th March 2010
 * down your saucepans and face the facts'' - Voters may bang their pots and wish away economic reality but we all know two and two doesn’t make five - 6th March 2010
 * of Hong Kong. Give the Falklands back'' - We should do a deal with Argentina now to lease back the islands over 99 years and split the economic spoils - 27th February 2010
 * the black, Vicky? It’s OK, you can cry'' - Welcome to Who Wants to be a Prime Minister? with your host, Piers Morgan. Guests include Gandhi and the Virgin Mary - 20th February 2010
 * global warning for the man out of time'' - Cameron tamed the Tories for the Blair era, but now the world is turning Right. To stay on top, he might look Down Under - 13th February 2010
 * rather Cameron was patient than brave'' - Those calling for a radical Tory manifesto should be careful. Brilliant ideas have a habit of frightening the voters away - 6th February 2010
 * world view: simply goodies v baddies'' - For him the Axis of Evil was not just a soundbite but a profound philosophical insight. That’s why he has no regrets - 30th January 2010
 * to Cameron: put away the custard pies'' - The Conservative Leader must look and sound like a Prime Minister. That means no more cheap mockery of Gordon Brown - 23rd January 2010
 * is Groundhog Day for Blair'' - The Chilcot inquiry won’t find a smoking gun, but it traps the Iraq war blunderers in their moment of folly - 16th January 2010
 * wanted to hurt Gordon Brown'' - Even the plotters knew that their plan was bound to fail. That’s a measure of how angry they are - 9th January 2010
 * can’t exist if distress has been abolished'' - The Tories’ big idea is that we, not the State, should help the weak. But the brutal truth is that we will only act if we can see suffering - 2nd January 2010
 * for England? Sometimes you just have to'' - So there’ll be no let-up for Brown next year and not much for Cameron. But the faithful can relax a little - 26th December 2009
 * have politicians done for them? Zilch'' - In the 50 years since I was in Malawi as a young boy, life in most African villages has not changed in the slightest - 19th December 2009
 * are far too sentimental about ‘our boys’'' - We must drop the flowery language about sacrifice. British soldiers aren’t conscripts; they volunteer to risk their lives - 12th December 2009
 * calm and polite. Don’t rise to Labour’s bait'' - To fall back on class warfare, as Gordon Brown has signalled, is nasty politics. It could, though, prove a useful vote-winner - 5th December 2009
 * to war wasn’t heroic: it was a no-brainer'' - Tony Blair saw only victory when he sided with the biggest boy in the playground, not an ugly wound to his reputation - 28th November 2009
 * method in this Queen’s Speech madness'' - Usually it’s the speech that’s dreary and the phone-in responses that are works of fantasy. This year the reverse is true - 21st November 2009
 * practical tips to save you half a lifetime'' - When I was 16 I didn’t want agony-aunt advice on sex and love, but real advice on spots and shaving – like this . . . - 14th November 2009
 * Iron Lady and her blue felt-tip sympathy'' - Do Gordon Brown’s staff dare to correct him? - 12th November 2009
 * one way MPs can redeem themselves'' - Parliament should save itself – and countless lives – by demanding the return of British troops from Afghanistan - 7th November 2009
 * on the fence. It’s the least painful position'' - Cameron will be relieved once Lisbon is over. He can then stick to the British tradition of quiet foot-dragging over Europe - 31st October 2009
 * sacrifice free speech to swat a gnat?'' - In the face of a rag-tag party with a dishcloth of a manifesto, we flinched — yes, flinched — in our commitment to liberty - 24th October 2009
 * Brown has cast us adrift'' - Guiding a country all the time is impossible. But if nobody’s steering the ship, you’re sunk - 17th October 2009
 * for office. And for booby traps too'' - The Tory leadership has propelled the party towards government – but it will have a job to keep the backbenchers with it - 10th October 2009
 * Cameron hasn’t sealed the deal. Thank heaven'' - The Tories should be grateful voters remain sceptical. The lower their hopes, the less likely they are to be disappointed - 3rd October 2009
 * my home. Get your dirty tax hands off it'' - Homeowners instinctively hate a mansion tax. They feel their hard-earned bricks and mortar should be beyond the State - 26th September 2009
 * torch has passed. Give Osborne the credit'' - After sniping from the City that he was a political pipsqueak, the Shadow Chancellor has been vindicated -20th September 2009
 * law will turn us into outlaws'' - The new quango teaches us that the more the State bosses us around, the less we abide by its rules - 12th September 2009
 * it, we are on our way out of the war'' - Eric Joyce is a straw in the wind, but the wind is stiffening against our Afghan adventure, whatever politicians say in public - 5th September 2009
 * nymph, the prince and a familiar tragedy'' - There, on the stage at Glyndebourne, the story of Diana and Charles suddenly re-emerged at a peculiarly appropriate time - 29th August 2009
 * had 12 years. Call that an Opposition?'' - They may be close to power now, but the Conservatives have patently failed to expose Labour’s glaring weaknesses - 22nd August 2009
 * MPs free to burst the Westminster bubble'' - Parliament isn’t necessarily a full-time occupation. But no more lawyering on the side, let them take proper second jobs - 15th August 2009
 * reason: hurl those insults'' - A yah-boo can be much more effective than logic in knocking ideas or people off their pedestal - 8th August 2009
 * oppose legalising assisted suicide'' - I will take my death into my own hands. The State has no business giving me the authority to die – or the authority to live - 1st August 2009
 * to your course. There’s a stiff wind ahead'' - Norwich North shows the voters are not flapping when the Tories have the honesty to admit hard economic truths - 25th July 2009
 * Out Now is a soundbite, not an option'' - Our forces will have to stay in Afghanistan. But Britain must resist being sucked in deeper - 18th July 2009
 * in to this tale that spells defeat'' - A betrayal, a shooting, tested loyalties: Afghanistan is a land riven by a thousand such stories - 11th July 2009
 * the fog, remember: victory is impossible in Afghanistan'' - It’s easy to be blinded by the valiant effort, as well as the acronyms and euphemisms. But the harsh truth does not change - 4th July 2009
 * for Britain, Dave. It’s your national duty'' - Nail the blatant untruth on spending cuts, however dull it sounds. There is no more urgent issue facing the country - 27th June 2009
 * the noble platitudes, what’s in it for me?'' - We shouldn’t be shocked that MPs have shown us they are an interest group like any other. Politics is about who benefits - 20th June 2009
 * mention the rabbit. Or that word 'cut''' - Politicans are terrified of being portrayed as cutters of public spending. But why shouldn't smaller government be better? - 13th June 2009
 * a man propelled by anger and pride'' - Gordon Brown has brought his Government and his party to their knees. Shackled together, they crawl hopelessly on - 6th June 2009
 * go. We can't. We're waiting for Gordo'' - Like actors petrified on a stage, Labour seems unable to rid itself of Gordon Brown. But its very survival is at stake - 30th May 2009
 * them - but don't kick all the stuffing out'' - At its best the House of Commons can be rip-roaringly effective. Indiscriminate public fury is in danger of destroying it - 23rd May 2009
 * holes put fluffy dusters in perspective'' - Expenses are a handy stick for beating incompetent politicians. But from war-torn Lebanon the outrage looks overdone - 16th May 2009
 * the bath plug and let out the dirty water'' - Listing housekeeping bills is a cruel demeaning of democracy. Add £30,000 to MPs' salaries and abolish all their expenses - 9th May 2009
 * gutless Cabinet must share blame'' - Enough of Brown's failings. Why didn't his colleagues challenge his farcical expenses plan? - 2nd May 2009
 * must put himself in focus'' - Everyone knew what Margaret Thatcher stood for; she didn't have to spell it out. But it is different for today's Tories - 25th April 2009
 * he's bad he's very bad. But when isn't he?'' - Gordon Brown is said to have bold plans. But, in fact, they are small ideas that gained big headlines - 18th April 2009
 * constabulary must be policed'' - Criticising the police was a no-go area for MPs. But look at the mess this lack of censure has left us in - 11th April 2009
 * world is saved. But what about Rotherham?'' - Gordon Brown's summit was an international success. But the Tories mustn't let voters forget his failings at home - 4th April 2009
 * the honourable thing, Mr Brown'' - An appalling speech, embarrassments at home and abroad... this Prime Minister must sacrifice himself - 28th March 2009
 * Governor's eyebrow should trump the law'' - Hordes of lawyers are infesting Britain. Wouldn't it be better for good judgment to prevail over the loophole seekers? - 21st March 2009
 * anyone find the Tories' foreign policy?'' - No one knows what the Opposition thinks about huge areas of the world. David Cameron must start deciding - 14th March 2009
 * away your mops and buckets - and lead us'' - British politicians have disappeared down a supermarket aisle: we want politics to be about more than wiping up spillages - 7th March 2009
 * the enemy and stick the knife in'' - The miners' strike was a harsh but powerful lesson in how to take on your opponents - 28th February 2009
 * up, who's down, who cares?'' - Labour ministers are furiously jockeying for position. They don't seem to realise, voters have moved on - 21st February 2009
 * is Prince Charles's duty to go to Australia'' - The country has been hit by disaster. This is the moment for a visit that could stop the slide towards republicanism - 14th February 2009
 * Silly Doorsqueak Theory'' - A screeching door has planted in me the seeds of a radical new approach to management consultancy - 7th February 2009
 * if the English patient doesn't get better?'' - As we crawl from the wreckage of the crash, the Tories must be merciless in pinning the blame on the Prime Minister - 31st January 2009
 * no new motor to drive the economy'' - Forget all the talk of post-recession rebuilding. We were living beyond our means and must now reduce our expectations - 24th January 2009
 * out now, or forever hold your peace'' - Trident, Heathrow, Obama, Iraq: if you think things will go wrong, don't wait until you are out the loop before you say so - 17th January 2009
 * can stop pretending to be Blair now, Dave'' - The Tories must not be mesmerised by the last Labour leader but fight this one - and that means searching for cuts - 10th January 2009
 * superpower needs careful driver'' - Obama has to be honest with Americans about their country's fall from predominance - 3rd January 2009
 * 'Lifeline' to carmakers is really a bung'' - Weasel words are being used to disguise a subsidy to produce cars nobody can afford to buy - 20th December 2008
 * the 'do-nothings' can triumph'' - ‘Hands off' is a very British sentiment. If the Tories hold their nerve their message of inaction will chime with voters - 13th December 2008
 * dangerous temptations of instant truth'' - As communication gets ever faster, we must ask if the very speed at which we can know things endangers our liberty - 6th December 2008
 * outrage that brings shame on Britain'' - Whether it was strong policing or politics behind the raid on Damian Green's offices, it should never have happened here - 29th November 2008
 * housekeeping is a worthy gamble'' - If the Prime Minister's seed corn doesn't sprout, the Tory alternative will have real appeal to the voters - 22nd November 2008
 * Darcy the dog barking mad or just all too human?'' - My inner trainspotter felt sympathy for his compulsive antics at the fence where he had once found a dead sheep - 15th November 2008
 * not President of the World'' - Everyone seems to think Obama will improve their lives. They should prepare for disappointment - 8th November 2008
 * resolve these old colonial burdens now'' - Our shameful treatment of two tiny specks of land for the benefit of the US military is a slur on Britain's good name - 1st November 2008
 * is the EastEnders version of a scandal'' - The plot is thin and the cast tawdry, but the Deripaska affair could turn out to be a long and career-destroying saga - 25th October 2008
 * can't see its huge mistake'' - Painting the Tories as old-fashioned, tax-cutting, Eurosceptic villains plays into Cameron's hands - 18th October 2008
 * Brown's big tent would hide a narrow interest'' - If the Prime Minister makes a siren call in the name of national unity, the Opposition should block its ears - 11th October 2008
 * return of the scorpion'' - Mandelson is back. Whatever else he may do, he fascinates. But so do scorpions - 4th October 2008
 * manners, yes. A good kicking, no'' - The Prime Minister is grievously wounded. Further assaults will leave the Tories looking sadistic - 27th September 2008
 * Principle chucked overboard'' - 'What works' is what all politicians believe in. Their fashionable pragmatism should worry you - 20th September 2008
 * should dump compassion'' - The Left must embrace progress and winners, not the workshy and the weak - 13th September 2008
 * it only men who suffer this irrational rage?'' - There's no excuse for my silly behaviour - but do I lack a gene that women have? - 11th September 2008
 * Labour find its self-respect?'' - Brown's flailing leadership is a national emergency. His party must show it has the stomach to tackle it - 6th September 2008
 * superior to Man? What tosh'' - For some, love of Nature is the flipside of distaste for Man. This is nonsense: as the No1 species, we're in control - 30th August 2008
 * now realise that life begins at 59'' - Colombia Notebook: it's nonsense to suggest that you should slow down when you reach your threescore years - 28th August 2008
 * attacking 'target culture''' - Yes, league tables and testing can be crude. But their dismissal is deeply self-interested - 9th August 2008
 * new Prime Minister needs a new mandate'' - It is quite acceptable for the unions to help to choose a leader for the Labour Party. But not for the country - 2nd August 2008
 * is lucky. They can ditch him now'' - Getting rid of Gordon Brown could be the difference between honorable defeat and total wipeout at the next election - 26th July 2008



The Spectator: 'Another Voice'
Column remit: Politics, world affairs, history and travel

Section: The Magazine / Regulars

Role: Commentator

Pen-name:

Email:

Website: Spectator.co.uk

Commissioning editor:

Day published:

Regularity: Fortnightly

Column format:

Average length: 1100/1200 words



Articles: 2010

 * Australian bush says: ‘Come in’ — and then it breaks your heart'' - We are driving in inland New South Wales. We could be driving across grassy English lowland. Wide green hills roll towards a dove-grey horizon, and wisps of white curl down… - 10th February
 * purpose of being unable to remember what’s on the tip of your tongue'' - The phenomenon I’m about to describe will be infuriatingly familiar to older readers, but will have been encountered by people of any age. Even in childhood we meet it, and… - 27th January
 * Africa, where there are dreadlocks, there are white tourists being preyed upon'' - 13th January



Articles: 2009

 * claim to fame this year: I stopped a lot of people from squirting each other with milk'' - 14th December
 * time for journalists to be honest about their corrupting involvement with PR'' - 5th December
 * is like a jigsaw: it makes a picture out of puzzling chaos'' - 21st November
 * Johnson is right: the boss should make the decisions; the experts should advise'' - 5th November
 * should think most carefully before calling for censorship in any quarter'' - 21st October
 * will only ‘Think Bike’ if the bikers can be persuaded to ‘Think Motorist’'' - 7th October
 * thrilled to the core by the magnificent tribe whose talents shine the world over'' - 23rd September
 * afternoon to you,’ says the email I recently received from Mr Dowling of Berry Bros & Rudd, ‘and thank you for your recent order no. 884095, placed through our…'' - 9th September
 * at a Ryanair check-in is there always somebody weeping? In this case, at Girona airport in Catalonia last week, she was a respectable, grandma-aged German lady in a white…'' - 26th August
 * has taken me five years to realise the gap left by my father’s death will never be filled'' - 12th August
 * am proud to have joined the Totnes Tories in a pioneering political evening'' - 1st August
 * work of men like Cpl Milligan is worthy. But does it win Afghan hearts and minds?'' - 15th July
 * is good that MPs have second jobs — but they should share the proceeds'' - 1st July
 * it or not, Mandelson has grown impatient with spin and presentation'' - 17th June
 * call it ‘antiquity’. And yet, in this imperial Roman city, it seemed like yesterday'' - 3rd June
 * with Agatha Christie and the ghosts of guests past in Syria’s Baron Hotel'' - 20th May
 * funeral teaches me that Gray was wrong in his Elegy about the loneliness of virtue'' - 6th May
 * Wax has me thinking about the link between genetics and Jungian psychology'' - 22nd April
 * Capering To Caped Crusader'' - Mayor Johnson must now focus obsessively on fixing London’s transport system - 22nd April
 * spirits of Spectator editors past battled within me as I embarked on a criminal act'' - 7th April
 * economics, as in meteorology, the basic theory is both boring and largely useless'' - 25th March
 * this rate, the throne might as well be replaced by a diamanté wheelchair'' - 11th March
 * baby, the cat and Uncle Matthew hear things that others in the room barely notice'' - 25th February
 * ye of little faith! This economic crisis is evidence that the market is working'' - 11th February
 * floral shrine and an aspiring publisher made me ashamed of my unkindness'' - 28th January
 * gay lobby should rejoice at the Pope’s argument that God makes us the way we are'' - 14th January



Articles: 2008

 * of me to say so, but English journalism is getting better'' - 12th December 2008
 * understand the true nature of history, let us start with the question of Napoleon’s piles'' - 3rd December 2008
 * need a new language to describe time, preferably without spatial metaphors'' - 19th November 2008
 * am woken by the song of the kookaburra in this ancient, haunting landscape'' - 5th November 2008
 * to myth, we are becoming ever wittier in our deployment of scorn'' - 22nd October 2008
 * back and enjoy the world economic crisis in three minutes'' - 8th October 2008
 * find Miliband’s fridge and its contents more interesting than the Foreign Secretary'' - 24th September 2008
 * the housing market collapsed. Now I fear the trade in llamas will be next'' - 11th September 2008
 * towards an explanation of why straight men like watching lesbians'' - 27th August 2008
 * you or your chatmate are looking for a nilogism or mislexis, don’t wait till an earar'' - 13th August 2008
 * really irrational thing once you have faith is to entertain reasonable doubts'' - 30th July 2008
 * blame those who worked with Brown, knew what he was really like, but stayed silent'' - 2nd July 2008
 * all too easy to leave Top Secret papers lying around — I should know'' - 18th June 2008
 * are no ‘good’ teachers: the teacher who is good for you may wreck another’s prospects'' - 4th June 2008
 * wish George Eliot or Alan Bennett had been with me in the Ryanair check-in queue'' - 21st May 2008
 * speech recorded in Hansard on an unspecified day in the near future'' - 7th May 2008
 * heart bleeds for cold-callers — it must be the most depressing job in the world'' - 23rd April 2008
 * must bore for Britain till he wins — and then shine like Tennyson’s dragonfly'' - 9th April 2008
 * the speeches of McCain and Obama has made me ashamed of our political class and its craven soundbites'' - 26th March 2008
 * obsession with rubbish drove me to share a bath with an Arsenal-supporting teddy bear'' - 12th March 2008
 * truth about the Auschwitz ‘gimmick’ row is that Labour exploited Jewish sensitivities'' - 27th February 2008
 * the Archbishop were really an intellectual, he'd answer the questions he wordily posed'' - 13th February 2008
 * much deliberation, I have come to the conclusion that life does not exist'' - 30th January 2008



Links:

 * Wikipedia bio
 * Hack watch: The security services and Whitehall have long kept dossiers on certain journalists but, characteristically, New Labour has widened the focus - as an internal cabinet memo obtained by the Guardian shows - Seumas Milne, Kevin Maguire, The Guardian, 22nd January 2001
 * Does he mean me? Alastair Campbell's diaries, published yesterday, are littered with casually abusive asides about the people he met. So what do Piers Morgan, Ann Widdecombe and his other victims think about their walk-on roles in his 794-page book? Oliver Burkeman reports - The Guardian, 10th July 2007