Daniel Finkelstein



Profile:
Full name: Daniel Finkelstein (OBE)

Area of interest: Politics and the Media

Journals: The Times, The Jewish Chronicle

Email: [mailto:daniel.finkelstein@thetimes.co.uk daniel.finkelstein@thetimes.co.uk]

Website: TimesOnline / Daniel Finkelstein

Blog: Comment Central

Representation:

Network:



Biography:
Education: London School of Economics; also trained as a computer systems analyst

Career: In politics, stood as an SDP candidate in the 1987 elections; Edited Connexion, first UK newspaper to cover internet and data communications, 1990/92; three years as Director of free market think tank the Social Market Foundation; Secretary to the Shadow Cabinet and adviser to the Leader of the Opposition, William Hague and before that the Prime Minister, John Major, 1995/2001; Conservative parliamentary candidate in Harrow West, 2001; written for The Guardian, The Observer, The Independent

Viewpoints/Insight: Probably has more knowledge about the inner workings of the Conservative Party than any other journalist

Controversy:

Books:

Latest work:

TV/Radio: Appearances on BBC's Have I Got News For You; radio broadcasts on historical subjects; a member of the Newsnight political "panel of experts" during the 2008 economic crisis.

Awards/Honours: OBE (in John Major's resignation honours list), 1997; Orwell prize for journalism, 2001; Columnist of the Year, 2003

Advisory posts: Former adviser to Prime Minister John Major and Conservative leader William Hague

Speaking/Conferences:

Other: Grandson of Alfred Weiner, founder of the Wiener Library - see article: The test that David Irving set me: do I really believe in the power of truth?



The Times:
Column remit: Politics and the Media

Section: Features

Role: Comment editor

Pen-name:

Email: [mailto:daniel.finkelstein@thetimes.co.uk daniel.finkelstein@thetimes.co.uk]

Website: TimesOnline / Daniel Finkelstein

Commissioning editor:

Day published: Wednesday

Regularity: Weekly

Column format:

Average length: 1000 words



Articles:

 * the readers wot won it, not the press'' - The power of newspapers is exaggerated. Wise politicians realise that voters matter more than editors - 13th July 2011
 * leftwingers support this inheritance plan?'' - The Dilnot report has been welcomed across the political divide, even though it protects the assets of the rich - 6th July 2011
 * the coalition thinks it’ll beat the unions?'' - Public sentiment can switch sides during strikes. The Government could find itself fighting for survival - 29th June 2011
 * Lib Dems and their eccentric heritage'' - Doggedness in the face of crisis was typical of the Liberals. And that’s why this coalition is unlikely to collapse - 23rd June 2011
 * can we win? It’s the social values, stupid'' - Cameron and now Miliband see what Clinton saw: voters won’t put up with people getting something for nothing - 15th June 2011
 * steamroller please, and more politician'' - Andrew Lansley’s NHS reforms will only work if he has the subtlety to keep the big players and the public onside - 1st June 2011
 * holiday snaps are for folks at home'' - As he poses with the Queen and David Cameron, the President is firmly focused on the re-election battle ahead - 25th May 2011
 * Brown is the last man to run the IMF'' - The former Prime Minister would use his position to undermine the Government. Why should it let him? - 18th May 2011
 * cheerio to those of you in Yesminster'' - Thursday’s council results were genuinely staggering. The so-called progressive majority has been routed - 11th May 2011
 * a catastrophe (but do the Lib Dems know?)'' - The party is suffering from an identity crisis. There is only one responsible course for Nick Clegg to take - 4th May 2011
 * we hand supreme power to this man?'' - Jonathan Sumption is a brilliant Supreme Court candidate. So we need to know his views on privacy and free speech - 27th April 2011
 * is won or lost in the playground'' - The problem isn’t one of numbers but of speed. If too many migrants arrive at once, integration is impossible - 20th April 2011
 * the world dials 999 it prays America picks up the phone'' - Was Obama dithering over Libya? I certainly hope so. The alternative is too frightening to contemplate - 6th April 2011
 * and Miliband. Spot the difference'' - How dare the Labour leader compare the march against cuts to the struggles against apartheid or for civil rights - 30th March 2011
 * is political chess, not a quick magic trick'' - George Osborne has always played the long game. And in this Budget his eyes are fixed on the 2015 election - 24th March 2011
 * want my vote to count. But not this much'' - We are hearing the wrong arguments about AV. But should a fourth preference have the same value as a first? - 16th March 2011
 * LSE scandal is intellectual, not financial'' - Academics did not flatter the Gaddafis for money but because they believed in their ideas. And that’s worse - 9th March 2011
 * man not afraid to tell Cameron the truth'' - The new Tory director of strategy is a ruthless moderniser who will put what voters want at the heart of policy - 2nd March 2011
 * the hour, cometh the foreign policy'' - The Middle East revolutions will teach us a lot about David Cameron. And they will teach him a lot about himself - 23rd February 2011
 * marriage – such a conservative idea'' - Party support for this proposal would not just amend past failings. It would chime with core Tory values - 16th February 2011
 * must silence the shouters. No debate'' - MPs’ boorish behaviour in the Commons is rude and unnecessary. The Prime Minister must take a lead in ending it - 9th February 2011
 * East peace will only come with liberty'' - Land is not the key to the peace process. But the fight for democracy on the streets of Egypt could be - 2nd February 2011
 * the deficit alone won’t bring victory'' - Having a credible message in place for 2015 is far more important for the Tories than how they communicate it - 26th January 2011
 * rent: one anti-war flat, superb views'' - I’m sorry, but the protesters’ encampment in Parliament Square pretends to be democratic when it plainly isn’t - 19th January 2011
 * mustn’t give in to the Tory grumblers'' - The disaffected Right has focused its wrath on the EU Bill – but its arguments are absurd or baffling - 12th January 2011
 * AV vote: it’s going to change everything'' - Whichever way it goes, the referendum on the alternative vote will be the landmark political event of the year - 5th January 2011
 * by real politics, Saint Vince is over'' - The only future for the Lib Dems is as part of government. Clegg knows it and now Cable must learn it too - 22nd December 2010
 * and Nicey, a recipe for Tory disaster'' - If the Lib Dems get the credit for being the coalition’s moderating force, it will be fatal for Conservative prospects - 15th December 2010
 * can’t escape the tuition fee hurricane'' - Like storm insurance in Florida, a university education costs what it costs — and someone has to pay it - 8th December 2010
 * Canute, we can’t turn back the WikiTide'' - The history of the human race shows that information will always spread as power shifts from group to group - 1st December 2010
 * are you calling the squeezed middle?'' - It’s maddening. Pundits and politicians keep confusing the middle classes with people on median incomes - 24th November 2010
 * is heroic, but not always enough'' - While Aung San Suu Kyi follows in a noble tradition, let’s not pretend it would work against Hitler or Saddam - 17th November 2010
 * went too far – but so have the judges'' - The judgment in the Oldham case means that the person you think you have elected could be thrown out - 10th November 2010
 * must learn from the real Jack Kennedy'' - JFK was no liberal: he was successful because he embraced the Centre. Today’s president must do the same - 3rd November 2010
 * deficit is your fault. And mine. All of us'' - Don’t just blame Gordon Brown or the bankers. The responsibility must be shared – and so must the clearing up - 20th October 2010
 * the Tories are now the party of fairness'' - The itch to reciprocate is hardwired in all of us. The Conservatives are trying to draw on this new understanding - 13th October 2010
 * new Thatcherites hit trouble on the right'' - The Chancellor is a true One Nation Tory. But spreading the pain of cuts is causing unexpected tensions - 6th October 2010
 * you don’t like the voters, they won’t like you'' - Ed Miliband needs to win back the centre ground, but he won’t succeed unless he knows what makes it tick - 29th September 2010
 * don’t get it, but they still have to pay it'' - The deficit binds the coalition together. But getting people to understand it may bring both partners down - 22nd September 2010
 * won’t work for Cameron’s Tories'' - It’s Labour that must get tough with the militants. The Conservatives have to find a way to live with them - 15th September 2010
 * this man must not languish in jail'' - Like Alfred Dreyfus before him, Eddie Gilfoyle is in prison for a crime he did not commit. He should go free now - 8th September 2010
 * will never have an heir to Tony Blair'' - The big question from the former PM’s memoirs is: why did Blairism die? - 11th August 2010
 * stay up in the polls just stay out of power'' - Unpopularity is the price the Lib Dems must pay for being in government. The alternative was extinction - 4th August 2010
 * rules are dafter than believing in Xenu'' - A tweet against Scientology has exposed draconian curbs on elected officials - 28th July 2010
 * us a favour. Let us wear what we like'' - Why do women put up with restrictions such as the burka? Because they find it liberating - 21st July 2010
 * remember Labour’s downfall'' - Our recollection is more fallible than we realise. Today’s memoirs may be no help at all - 14th July 2010
 * peace does more damage than war'' - Were Iran and Afghanistan worth it? Ask the woman who escaped from North Korea - 7th July 2010
 * truth. And anything but the whole truth'' - Yes, soldiers were guilty on Bloody Sunday. But the price of peace is that they must get the same leniency as the IRA - 16th June 2010
 * forced to agree are forced to lie'' - David Cameron has the chance to show that not all new politics is guff at his first Prime Minister’s Questions today - 2nd June 2010
 * news, boys: we’re not a left-wing nation'' - Britain should be natural territory for a Lib-Con alliance, but its partners must learn to socialise with each other, fast - 19th May 2010
 * daring will change politics'' - A Tory partnership with the Liberal Democrats has wiped out the anti-Conservative majority at a stroke - 12th May 2010
 * never voted Tory. But changing was easy'' - The tribalism of British politics is a mystery to me and I hope it doesn’t cost Cameron his chance - 5th May 2010
 * Invitation to Do a Spot of Retail Therapy'' - Let customers do the shopping. That’s what lies behind the Tory plan to improve schools and hospitals - 28th April 2010
 * it a party for middle-class rebels or lefties?'' - Nick Clegg has an historic dilemma to solve: whether to unite the Left or stick resolutely to the centre - 21st April 2010
 * wizard behind Cameron’s little blue book'' - How do you reconcile the best of Thatcherism with an appeal to new Tory voters? Call for Oliver Letwin... - 14th April 2010
 * you trust David Cameron? That’s the question for voters'' - Kinnock was a no. The Tory leader could be a yes. In the end, it boils down to public belief in the Leader of the Opposition - 7th April 2010
 * the great scandal no one’s noticed'' - It’s Gordon Brown’s refusal to announce a spending review in bad economic times. No, really it is. Honest . . . - 24th March 2010
 * workers! You’re in Mr Brown’s pocket'' - Power is what matters to this enormous union, not airy-fairy ideals. And it’s following in a long tradition - 17th March 2010
 * plugging away. The brand is a winner'' - Tories think that the job of changing their party’s image is complete. It isn’t — and complacency could be fatal - 10th March 2010
 * chatter won’t change the result'' - A chasm has opened up between electors and the elected. Voters are deaf to the babble of the political class - 3rd March 2010
 * Tories can win big, whatever the polls say'' - Ignore reports of a hung Parliament. Clever targeting in key seats is bringing the Conservatives votes where they count - 24th February 2010
 * Tories will get burnt fighting fire with fire'' - Voters have decided they don’t like Mr Brown. Negative campaigning risks putting them off rather than winning them over - 17th February 2010
 * presidential leader in No 10? Bring him on'' - Sorry, but strong party leadership and independent-minded MPs just don’t mix. The head must be separated from the body - 10th February 2010
 * Churchill when you think of Iraq'' - If we had not invaded, what then? Our foreign policy now should depend, as in 1940, on assessing the risks of inaction - 3rd February 2010
 * must talk about the next generation'' - A seminal new book about families and fairness could provide the missing soundtrack to current Conservative thinking - 27th January 2010
 * smoking shines a light on pack loyalty'' - Group identity is just as important as economic incentive in the way we behave. That’s a lesson all politicians must learn - 20th January 2010
 * same old row. But with one big difference'' - This Labour split is not about style or strategy but spending cuts. And this time the Prime Minister is on the wrong side - 13th January 2010
 * will not break his vow on marriage'' - The Tory leader stumbled over his marriage tax plans. But he won’t ditch them as they are at the heart of his beliefs - 6th January 2010
 * waste your money on an early election'' - There are always rumours. But Gordon Brown would be mad to go the country with his party at a paltry 30 per cent - 16th December 2009
 * urge to throw voters red meat'' - The Tory lead is shrinking, but don’t forget how much the old Tory brand put voters off - 9th December 2009
 * believe Demjanjuk is a ‘victim’'' - Some claim decent human beings can behave in an evil way just to conform. It is a pernicious argument - 2nd December 2009
 * to stop the Queen picking the next PM'' - You can blame it on the Canadians and the Lib Dems, but a constitutional crisis is much closer than you might think - 25th November 2009
 * speech? Who cares?'' - Pundits and politicians obsess about dividing lines. The public are serenely indifferent - 18th November 2009
 * created the job. You should do it'' - David Miliband is wrong to think it's better to be in loyal opposition than to be EU high representative - 11th November 2009
 * it straight: Cameron is Eurosceptic'' - The Tory leader plans to stop the ‘European ratchet’, but he won’t let the Lisbon spat derail his first year - 4th November 2009
 * for the week: the Left rocks the movie boat'' - When it comes to history, it’s the pirates of the Left who waive the rules - 28th October 2009
 * should know that strikes are catching'' - The Royal Mail strike is bonkers and everyone will lose out. But we won’t stop it unless we break the union’s network - 21st October 2009
 * coup behind the clap for poverty'' - It took one man 20 years to put the poor in the mainstream of Conservative politics - 14th October 2009
 * Issue that threatens the Tories'' - Why have MPs’ expenses dropped off the agenda? The public want to see if parties are changing - 7th October 2009
 * mustn’t be on the front foot'' - If his party heeds Brown's empty conference rallying cry it will only make defeat even more inevitable - 30th September 2009
 * up. Your moment is nigh'' - Facing unpopular Tories and a weak Labour Party, can the Liberal Democrats seize the advantage? - 23rd September 2009
 * to win elections and influence people'' - Being in a group pushes individuals to extremes. But moderates need not despair, group think can work to their advantage - 16th September 2009
 * Beatles: a triumph of capitalism'' - It was Brian Epstein's commercial flair that turned four musicians into a global phenomenon - 9th September 2009
 * were right to keep an eye on Red Sam'' - The actor who created the Globe Theatre was no danger to Britain. But his fellow communists most certainly were - 2nd September 2009
 * need more ‘squabbling gossips’'' - If ministers want to stay in touch with voters they need more special advisers, not fewer - 26th August 2009
 * and America are both right'' - The real question about healthcare is how we afford new treatments, not which system is best - 19th August 2009
 * is fine, but it won’t save cash'' - The benefits of cost-saving measures can take years. So a Tory goverment will have to raise taxes - 29th July 2009
 * antics are everybody’s business'' - The private lives of leaders reveal their character. And character may be the most essential element of leadership - 22nd July 2009
 * is party leader even out of office'' - Her resignation shows the Republicans’ problem. They prefer talking to themselves than to voters - 15th July 2009
 * hard truths from the fog of war'' - What happened to Robert McNamara teaches a lesson to all those who talk of governments of all the talents - 8th July 2009
 * Jacko’s death we know that War is Over'' - The media fuss over the death of the entertainer tells us that the 1960s culture clash has been resolved. Pop culture won - 1st July 2009
 * bombshell: Gordon Brown thinks it's still 1992'' - The Prime Minister is still haunted by Labour's last defeat. And shows the Tories how to beat his arguments on spending - 24th June 2009
 * want freedom. Just like us'' - The protests in Iran show the neocons were right. No people want to live under despotism - 17th June 2009
 * Scorekeepers now hold the key to power'' - The scale of Labour's defeat shows more than just a broken party. It shows that the old tribal era of politics is over - 10th June 2009
 * agrees he's got to go. So why hasn't he?'' - Bobby Kennedy and the Brazilian football team explain why toppling Gordon Brown is only a possibility, not a certainty - 3rd June 2009
 * Well, I can't trust anyone. Not even you'' - The British public is feasting on hatred. One minute it's estate agents, then bankers or foreigners. Who will be next? - 27th May 2009
 * the next Speaker get the new era?'' - The information revolution has claimed its first scalp. Politics in future will be less controlled - 20th May 2009
 * you thought this was bad, just wait'' - The expenses fiasco shows that Parliament change, or a succession of disasters will follow - 13th May 2009
 * people enjoy morris dancing'' - Tories can't afford to insult state employees. They'll need all the help they can to get spending cut - 6th May 2009
 * spirit of Old Sarum, still alive and rotten'' - There is no point in agonising over the quality of MPs while we still allow them to be chosen by tiny insider factions - 29th April 2009
 * dividing line: the many versus the few'' - If you want a clue to the Prime Minister's Budget plans - and his general election strategy - turn to Stan Greenberg - 22nd april 2009
 * for the week: the magic of Paul Daniels'' - Am I dumb, or just a sucker for magic? Science has come up with an explanation - 4th April 2009
 * pestilence. And your problem is shopping?'' - The anti-consumer brigade thinks there is a fairer, more rational, alternative to capitalism just round the corner. There isn't - 1st April 2009
 * Tories will choose stability not tax cuts'' - When unemployment is rising, voters want more reassurance that the Conservatives are not just for the rich and secure - 25th March 2009
 * takes courage to stand apart'' - The actor Ron Silver was a Democrat who voted for George Bush. His brave stand cost him dear - 18th March 2009
 * to the era of no money'' - For the next ten years politics will be about living with the consequences of the State being broke - 11th March 2009
 * Fred Goodwin must keep his money'' - Forget mob rule. We should not let the court of public opinion overthrow the rule of law - 4th March 2009
 * to getting elected: stay in the zone'' - Politicians dare not stray from what the public will accept. But to stay in power, they may have to - 25th February 2009
 * of falling'' - If God had meant us to ride horses he wouldn't have invented cars - 18th February 2009
 * blame the market for bankers' bonuses'' - These outlandish rewards have nothing to with the laws of supply and demand and everything to do with psychology - 11th February 2009
 * Finkelstein on video games and children'' - I am very worried. In December we bought my sons a Nintendo Wii and, with it, the Super Mario Kart video game. I am now concerned that when they grow up my sons are going to become Italian plumbers - 6th February 2009
 * don't have such a hard time'' - Research saying individualism and working women are breeding a damaged generation is flawed - 4th February 2009
 * the Gaza fuss. Let them buy airtime'' - Who knows who's right in the appeal row? Viewers could make their own minds up if we had US-style political advertising - 28th January 2009
 * may be the 'no we can't' President'' - After the waves of optimism, this was an inaugural speech that dared to set limits on expectations - 21st January 2009
 * hard, cruel party. Sound good?'' - The kinder Conservatism of David Cameron is not just a slogan. It's central to Tory strategy - 14th January 2009
 * acts because the world won't defend it'' - The scenes from Gaza are heartbreaking. But the whole conflict could be avoided if the Palestinians said one small thing - 7th January 2009
 * time for capitalism? I don't think so'' - The Left likes to see itself as vindicated by the debt crisis. But it was caused by too much government, not too little - 24th December 2008
 * conman, the dream - and the sharp suit'' - Bernard Madoff is the latest in a line of brazen fraudsters. They find their victims among the brightest of people - 16th December 2008 (Summary of Bernard Madoff news articles here)
 * an election now, Gordon'' - Voters are frightened, Labour stands a chance. If things start to get better, it may be time for a novice - 10th December 2008
 * services without reform? It's just a con'' - This is a time for creative innovation, not the rigid belief that statistics can show us all the answers to our problems - 3rd December 2008
 * when was debt a vote-winner?'' - It is absurd to think the Tories, rather than Labour, face a political dilemma. The answer is easy - 26th November 2008
 * Disney from his Mickey Mouse critics'' - As the cartoon rodent reaches 80, we should celebrate his creator - a genius and one of the best arguments for capitalism - 19th November 2008
 * of those who dare to resist violence'' - Obama's is a victory not just over the white supremacists, but also the black separatists - for democracy over terrorism - 12th November 2008
 * reasons why this is a landmark'' - Old politics is swept away because Americans have changed: they are richer, smarter and less white - 5th November 2008
 * it's best to do nothing'' - We tend to overestimate big reformers and forget rulers who embraced compromise - 29th October 2008
 * triumph? I'd hate to see a disaster'' - Gordon Brown can only avoid blame for the bust if he admits that his boom was always an illusion - 15th October 2008
 * he looks like a cop, it's a problem'' - The police want to be independent of politicians; the important thing is to be independent of each other - 8th October 2008
 * Leviathan must be controlled'' - The vast jamboree of special interest groups in Birmingham illustrates its malignant growth - 2nd October 2008
 * thinks the voters are wrong'' - The party is in denial. Its unpopularity is nothing to do with the ailing economy; it goes far deeper - 24th September 2008
 * pointless party to save the Left'' - As the Lib Dems meet for their conference, a fundamental question has to be raised - 17th September 2008
 * bogus lines on fictitious figures'' - No opposition can make detailed promises about how much they will spend. Now the Conservatives shouldn't even try - 10th September 2008
 * chattering class changing the US'' - The racist South was always Democrat. But Obama may be able to shake party's legacy of shame - 3rd September 2008
 * you pass or fail the Kinnock Test?'' - The British voter never gets it wrong. At every election in the past 80 years the right party has won. Discuss - 14th August 2008
 * beating crime. You'd better believe it'' - Tougher prison sentences and tougher policing are working. Denying the facts only makes the Right look stupid - 23rd July 2008
 * way: an intellectual revolution'' - Go and look in your bookshop: new thinking is seeping into politics - 16th July 2008
 * can't be done in secret. And here's why'' - We will always try to twist the evidence to fit our theories. Especially when we are wrong - 9th July 2008


 * archive



The Times: 'The Fink Tank'
Column remit: Football

Section: Sport

Role: Columnist

Pen-name:

Email: [mailto:finktank@thetimes.co.uk finktank@thetimes.co.uk]

Website: TimesOnline / The Fink Tank

Commissioning editor:

Day published: Saturday

Regularity: Weekly

Column format:

Average length: 500 words



Articles: 2009

 * Do louder fans give their team a better shout? - Sky Sports are going to measure the decibel levels of fans at the Carling Cup final - will Spurs or United come out on top? - 28th February 2009
 * Split decision on ‘Quite Big Phil’ - Change could have come too late for Chelsea this season after falling short of expectation under the charismatic Brazilian - 14th February 2009
 * Applying a new watching brief to football - Fink Tank says that you should treat offsides as a more encouraging indicator than corners - 7th February 2009
 * There are no cracks in Rafael Benitez's master plan at Liverpool - Nothing strange is going on at Liverpool, Fink Tank always predicted they were not legitimate title challengers this season - 31st January 2009
 * Revealed: Fink Tank's secret formula - Statistical guru Daniel Finkelstein reveals how you can make your own rough-and-ready estimation of match-day probability - 24th January 2009
 * Statistics undermine red-card myths - The Fink Tank: Analysis proves that sides rarely take on a more resilient edge when reduced to ten men - 17th January 2009
 * Investors could do worse than a Bentley - Is winger worth the £15m Spurs paid? Fink Tank looks at who spent wisely and who bought a dud in last summer's transfer market - 10th January 2009
 * Why FA Cup is not a game of equals - 100,000 reasons why claims by the ad-men, however eye-catching, do not stand up to analysis when on the football field - 3rd January 2009



The Jewish Chronicle:
Column remit:

Section:

Role: Columnist

Pen-name:

Email:

Website: JC.com / Columnists

Commissioning editor:

Day published: Friday

Regularity: Weekly

Column format:

Average length:



Articles:


