Richard Norton-Taylor



Profile:
Full name: Richard Norton-Taylor

Area of interest: Security affairs: defence, foreign affairs, security and intelligence agencies, freedom of information, civil liberty

Journals/Organisation: The Guardian

Email: [mailto:richard.norton-taylor@guardian.co.uk richard.norton-taylor@guardian.co.uk]

Personal website:

Website: Guardian.co / Richard Norton-Taylor

Blog: Defence and Security blog by Richard Norton-Taylor and Nick Hopkins

Representation:

Networks: https://scribe.twitter.com/#!/NortonTaylor | http://www.linkedin.com/pub/richard-norton-taylor/13/b66/ba4



Biography:
About:

Education: The King's School, Canterbury; Hertford College, Oxford; College of Europe, Bruges

Career: Freelance, Brussels, 1970/73; The Guardian, European correspondent 1973/75, Whitehall and security correspondent 1975/95 Current position/role: Security affairs editor since 1995


 * also writes/has written for:

Other roles/Main role: Author, Playwright

Other activities:

Disclosures:

Viewpoints/Insight:

Broadcast media: Regularly contributions to BBC news and current affairs programmes

Video: worked for BBC and independent television and radio, and Granada TV investigations – World in Action
 * see IMDb

Controversy/Criticism:

Awards/Honours: Freedom of Information Campaign Awards, UK Press Awards (Team) for Hamilton and Aitken investigations, 1986, 1994; Manchester Evening News Theatre Award for The Colour of Justice, 1999; Time Out Theatre Award for The Colour of Justice, 1999; Joint winner of the Winston Award with Stuart Millar presented by civil rights group, Privacy International, 2003

Scoops:

Other:



Books & Debate:

 * Whose land is it anyway?: agriculture, planning, and land use in the British countryside OCLC 9778255, 1982
 * The Ponting affair OCLC 59701591, 1985
 * Blacklist: the inside story of police vetting OCLC 21195362, 1988
 * In defence of the realm? - the case for accountable security services OCLC 19352479, 1990
 * Betrayed: the real story of the Matrix Churchill trial OCLC 35002111, 1993, see: Arms-to-Iraq; Scott Report
 * Truth is a difficult concept OCLC 32410314, with Mark Lloyd, 1995
 * Knee deep in dishonour OCLC 35614955, with Mark Lloyd and Stephen Cook, 1996
 * A conflict of loyalties: GCHQ (1984-91) OCLC 24953993, with Hugh Lanning, 1991
 * The colour of justice (play based on the Stephen Lawrence case) OCLC 43100212, 1999
 * Justifying war: scenes from the Hutton inquiry OCLC 54389636, 2003
 * Bloody Sunday: scenes from the Saville Inquiry OCLC 62074258, 2005, see: Bloody Sunday Inquiry
 * Verbatim: documentary theatre and politics OCLC 72150752, 2007
 * Called to account: the indictment of Anthony Charles Lynton Blair for the crime of aggression against Iraq OCLC 86168693, with Nicholas Kent, 2007, (also see: Criticism of Tony Blair)

Latest work:

Speaking/Appearances:

Debate: 

The Guardian:
Column name:

Remit/Info: Security affairs: defence, foreign affairs, security and intelligence agencies, freedom of information, civil liberty

Sections: News, Politics, Comment

Role: Security affairs editor

Pen-name:

Email: [mailto:richard.norton-taylor@guardian.co.uk richard.norton-taylor@guardian.co.uk]

Website: Guardian.co / Richard Norton-Taylor

Commissioning editor:

Day published:

Regularity:

Column format:

Average length:


 * also a regular contributor to comment is free... blog



Articles:

 * We think we know what Chilcot says. But the real scandal remains unnoticed - Tony Blair has always dismissed the idea that the Iraq invasion helped radicalise British Muslims. The inquiry evidence suggests the contrary - 22nd April 2016
 * Houghton has not just broken taboos over Trident, he has undermined democracy - The military should not take sides in political decisions. In making public his fears about Corbyn’s views on Trident, the head of the UK armed forces has done just that - 10th November 2015
 * Trident is useless. That’s why we must debate its renewal - With experts agreeing that renewing Trident makes little sense, Labour’s decision to bottle out of a vote is a missed opportunity - 29th September 2015
 * The Syria air strike revelations show the MoD’s addiction to secrecy must end - The discovery that RAF pilots flew raids in Syria despite the 2013 Commons vote is symptomatic of the Ministry of Defence’s troubled relationship with the truth - 17th July 2015
 * What Gallipoli can teach us about the Iraq war - After the disastrous campaign a century ago, those responsible resigned and an inquiry reported within three years. If only we had such closure over Iraq - 25th April 2015
 * Now Malcolm Rifkind should resign from his most important job - The intelligence and security committee’s scrutiny of spy agencies is vital and yet Rifkind’s track record as chairman leaves a lot to be desired - 24th February 2015
 * The case for a judicial inquiry into Libyan rendition is now undeniable - The evidence is clear that MI5 and MI6 were involved in the abduction and torture of Gaddafi’s opponents – someone must be held to account - 24th January 2015
 * The 30-year rule documents they don’t want you to see - A sweeping escape clause to the release of UK government papers means files on nuclear tests, GCHQ and the Falklands remain hidden - 7th January 2015
 * Bombing Isis will be futile – and expensive - Air strikes have not worked in previous conflicts as pilots quickly run out of targets. It will be the same this time round in Iraq - 30th September 2014
 * Substantial, severe, critical – can we trust the terror threat rating? - No one knows if returnees from Syria and Iraq are planning attacks, but the intelligence agencies will always play it safe - 30th August 2014
 * In Europe 1914 every leading player had his hand on a smoking gun - For Britain’s leaders the run-up to the first world war was marked by love letters and visits to the zoo – their complacency stands as a shocking lesson for us today - 1st August 2014
 * Why 'neither confirm nor deny' has become untenable for British spies - The Edward Snowden revelations have made the continued use of this prophylactic for spying activities a farce - 15th July 2014
 * Ignore the generals' bombast on Ukraine. Nato has extended enough - Instead of indulging in bluster and provocative rhetoric, the UK should make clear that Nato has no designs on the country - 24th March 2014
 * Dumping a judge-led inquiry into rendition is a cop-out by government - By handing the task to the intelligence and security committee, whose record on such matters is abysmal, David Cameron has reneged on his promise - 19th December 2013
 * The spooks strike back over GCHQ leaks – but they have a history of exaggerating threats - The real issue isn't what the Guardian published, but the lack of political oversight of the security and intelligence agencies - 12th October 2013
 * Surveillance secrecy: the legacy of GCHQ's years under cover - Signals intelligence has always been regarded in Whitehall as acutely sensitive - 21st August 2013
 * Britain's first world war centenary plans show a reluctance to face history - The government seems intent on avoiding any serious debate about the war and its causes - 13th August 2013
 * Embassy closures earn little respect for a US that's lost the benefit of the doubt - We might be forgiven for thinking that embassy closures provoked by terrorist threats were all very convenient for the NSA - 6th August 2013
 * Spying for spying's sake: spooks and their intelligence addiction - Vague, far-reaching laws mixed with phenomenal technology mean agencies bug, listen and surveil just because they can - 18th June 2013
 * The nuclear jobcentre - Treating Trident as an employment scheme will leave Britain ill equipped for the real threat: terrorism - 4th April 2013
 * This meaningless Falklands referendum will resolve nothing - Falkland Islanders are voting on remaining part of the UK, but it won't solve any of the sovereignty problems with Argentina - 9th March 2013
 * Cameron is right to give aid money to peacekeeping operations - Both the defence and aid budgets are too narrowly defined. Military presence needs to be backed up by civil aid - 22nd February 2013
 * Secret courts will let UK security services off the hook - Ken Clarke is defending the indefensible with a justice bill that aims to cover up any evidence of state wrongdoing - 13th February 2013
 * Alexander Litvinenko accusation puts MI6 in an unflattering light - Allegations of involvement in Libyan rendition and the death of the Russian spy raise questions about MI6's handling of sources - 14th December 2012
 * Why hasn't Abu Qatada been tried in an English court? - We should be told why a man accused of serious crime in the UK cannot be tried here – and just what MI5's role is in this case - 14th November 2012
 * Defence lobbying can be challenged – if the will is there - It's impossible to police all quiet, informal exertion of influence by former defence staff but the system could be more robust - 16th October 2012
 * Ken Clarke's justification for 'secret' intelligence courts doesn't wash - In pursuing the justice and security bill, Clarke appears to be ensuring MI5 and MI6's dirty washing stays hidden - 21st September 2012
 * The truth about torture, terrorism and secrecy – as told by Britain's former spy chief - When it comes to national security, today's politicians and spooks have much to learn from the former head of MI5, Eliza Manningham-Buller - 5th September 2012
 * The army's big dilemma: what will it do when the Afghan war is over? - Beyond the arguments over regiment mergers lie more fundamental questions about the service's role overseas - 6th July 2012
 * MI6 and MI5 must be held to account - The Gareth Williams case is just one in a series of failings – the security services need reform, for our sake and theirs - 1st May 2012
 * Abu Hamza ruling should be a wake-up call to the legal system - The UK and US in particular must stop treating security or terrorism cases as too sensitive for publication - 11th April 2012
 * Secret justice? Ken Clarke would simply help hide what should be exposed - Plans to prevent any MI5 or MI6 intelligence being disclosed in court may please the spooks, but should spook the rest of us - 4th April 2012
 * The Mark Duggan case shows we must change the law on evidence - A legal anomaly that continues to cause injustice may be preventing an inquest into Mark Duggan's death - 30th March 2012
 * Nuclear weapons are the great taboo of British politics - The MoD demonstrates its sensitivity about Trident by the way it has interfered over a play on the subject - 21st February 2012
 * Why is Abu Qatada not on trial? - That Qatada has not been prosecuted under criminal and conspiracy laws makes a mockery of our legal system - 14th February 2012
 * Iran and the US: from words to war - As US intelligence chiefs ratchet up the rhetoric against Iran and our ships patrol the Gulf, the danger of war increases - 1st February 2012
 * Ministers' role in the Libyan renditions must not be kept secret - In a democracy, the question of whether M16 officers sought ministerial approval to render Libyan dissidents is vital - 14th January 2012
 * How many ministers are questioning the plan to replace Trident? - Two-thirds of Thatcher's cabinet were reportedly against buying Trident. Thirty years on, debate about its replacement is stifled - 30th December 2011
 * Is William Hague spooked by rendition 'allegations'? - It's no coincidence Hague's effusive praise for secret services comes as an intelligence inquiry is to be held – in secret - 18th November 2011
 * Liam Fox has lost the Ministry of Defence's trust - Even if his Adam Werritty dealings show only a lack of judgment, the ministry can no longer easily have faith in its political master - 10th October 2011
 * Britain's decline as a major military player is a truth we can't stomach - This post-imperial hubris must be shaken off. Britain hasn't been a superpower for decades - 28th September 2011
 * What did ministers know about the Libyan rendition link? - Whether MI5 and MI6 collusion with Gaddafi's secret police was sanctioned by Straw, Miliband or Blair is the key question - 5th September 2011
 * a new breed of military intervention'' - High-level bombing, planning by low-level ground forces and a back seat for the US. This was no great victory for Nato - 26th August 2011
 * attack: Britain's defence cuts'' - The government's cuts to defence have been criticised by a cross-party committee. Are its concerns justified? - 4th August 2011
 * the Chinook two'' - A new inquiry reveals what has long been evident: the helicopter was faulty, not the pilots - 11th July 2011
 * will miss Nicolas Kent'' - The cuts in funding to venues such as the Tricycle look like a facile attempt to stifle political debate - 5th July 2011
 * The general's reality check'' - It's not hard to fathom why the defence chief has shifted position on regime change in Libya - 17th May 2011
 * gives spies a chance to shine'' - British intelligence officers have a firm foothold in Libya. Their subtle moves may be more explosive than the bombing campaign - 6th April 2011
 * this SAS mystique'' -The botched operation in Libya reveals how official SAS secrecy encourages a gung-ho arrogance - 7th March 2011
 * this official silence on the SAS'' - The MoD policy of never commenting on special forces operations, such as the one in Libya, does no one any good - 1st March 2011
 * do revolutions such as Tunisia's come by surprise?'' - Diplomats and intelligence agencies often tell ministers what they want to hear – and overvalue secret sources of information - 1st February 2011
 * orders deserve a calm debate'' - Nick Clegg is accused of gambling with national security, but questioning the claims of the securocrats is not irresponsible - 7th January 2011
 * Hanrahan's famous phrase masked a media battle with the MoD'' - Reporting restrictions placed on Hanrahan by the MoD during the Falklands are still cause for dispute with the media today - 21st December 2010
 * spy a lot of innuendo in the Mike Hancock case'' - Planting parliamentary questions is akin to shouting from the rooftops. Serious spying is done as silently as possible - 6th December 2010
 * is no basis for truth'' - George Bush's defence of torture relies on a belief in information that our intelligence agencies treat with deep scepticism - 10th November 2010
 * Norgrove: secrets and lives'' - Linda Norgrove's tragic death reveals the murky world in which ministers must often seek advice - 12th October 2010
 * defence: A horse and tank moment'' - Ministers face a supreme test in defence policy. Will they muddle on or be courageous and decisive? - 28th September 2010
 * of Defence needs a cultural revolution'' - If Liam Fox is serious about an MoD shakeup he should take aim at the dead and dangerous hand of the civilian bureaucracy - 14th August 2010
 * blows up'' - The current row over the nuclear missile system shows just why it should be subject to review - 31st July 2010
 * war logs: Shattering the illusion of a bloodless victory'' - Real picture of a conflict longer than Vietnam, or either world war, refutes the idea of a 'revolution in military affairs' - 26th July 2010 Afghanistan: summary
 * won't get in the way of Afghan withdrawal deadline'' - The coalition talks of a 'conditions-based' Afghanistan withdrawal but those conditions can be changed to hit the deadline - 23rd July 2010
 * clean about torture'' - Former ministers should speak up at the judicial inquiry over rendition of British citizens - 16th July 2010
 * the wait for talks to start'' - For military and political leaders, the only question now is when negotiations with the enemy open - 29th June 2010
 * to end mixed messages over Afghanistan policy'' - The new defence secretary must have the confidence to deliver clear explanation of our role in Afghanistan - 25th May 2010
 * can't remove human rights'' - There may be hysteria over two Pakistani terror suspects staying in the UK, but repealing the Human Rights Act is no solution - 20th May 2010
 * propaganda own-goal'' - The head of the security service is denouncing the media for simply reporting the judicial truth of its complicity in torture - 12th February 2010
 * Afghan intelligence failure'' - The CIA has been criticised for its ignorance of Afghanistan – but Britain's intelligence service is scarcely more competent - 5th January 2010
 * lessons on Iraq'' - The preparations for the aftermath of the invasion were criminally inadequate, which led to appalling acts of abuse - 23rd December 2009
 * great Afghan U-turn ignores reality'' - The US and UK are in denial about the situation in Afghanistan – for a start, they should stop channelling aid through Kabul - 4th November 2009
 * MI5 history sheds little light'' - The problem with Christopher Andrew's book is we do not know what files he did not see and what he omitted from those he did - 6th October 2009
 * is not disarmament'' - Brown wants to be seen to be taking action on nuclear weapons, but he should cut warheads, not a submarine that carries them - 24th September 2009
 * can't mask Afghan failure'' - Talk of a 'new strategy' doesn't disguise the fact that we have been wasting time, billions of dollars and lives in Afghanistan - 23rd September 2009
 * military's message to Afghanistan'' - In saying we could be there for 40 years, Sir David Richards is trying to tell Afghans foreign troops won't leave them in the lurch - 11th August 2009
 * Iraq inquiry must not back down'' - Sir John Chilcot should not ignore evidence that British officials plotted with their US counterparts to topple Saddam - 31st July 2009
 * truths from Basra'' - Abuse of Iraqi prisoners reveals a lack of discipline among UK troops and arrogance at the MoD - 23rd July 2009
 * for honesty over Afghan mission'' - The wonder is not that army top brass are now openly calling for more resources, but that they have not done so before - 22nd July 2009
 * force in Afghanistan'' - British generals are frustrated by Gordon Brown's refusal to send more troops to the troubled nation - 24th June 2009
 * Iraq inquiry debate won't go away'' - A head of steam is building up for an open inquiry into the Iraq war, or at least for most of it to be held in public - 19th June 2009
 * Whitehall whitewash'' - Given what we know already from leaks, the secrecy surrounding the Chilcot Iraq inquiry is as absurd as it is scandalous - 16th June 2009 (See: Anger as Gordon Brown announces Iraq war inquiry will be held in private)
 * Reshape spending for the 21st century'' - The government must urgently carry out a major defence review that looks at Trident, aircraft and foreign policy - 10th June 2009
 * man of faith, in his own ideas'' - The Iraq war damaged Britain's standing, wellbeing and security – but Tony Blair still believes in his doctrine of intervention - 24th April 2009
 * has dodged the issue'' - Yes, the government condemns torture. But why was there ever talk of a US threat in the first place - 20th February 2009
 * brass on the warpath'' - Some of the greatest critics of the operation in Afghanistan are among British military chiefs - 9th December 2008
 * Guardian readers, Britain needs you - If nothing else, it's a good time to be a spy: it must be, MI6 is advertising on the front of the Guardian - guardian.co.uk - Wednesday, 20th August 2008
 * Distracted and weakened, Nato is lost - The alliance, influenced by the US, is chasing phantom enemies. Meanwhile in Afghanistan, the real ones prevail - guardian.co.uk - Tuesday, 19th August 2008
 * Britain can't take the credit in Basra - The city may be seeing an economic upturn, but that is less to do with our military might than Iraq's strategic planning - guardian.co.uk - Friday, 15th August 2008
 * rendition'' - The government is once again using the fig leaf of national security to hide the truth about torture - 7th August 2008
 * denials are not enough'' - The US and UK must now provide explanations to Ron Suskind's claims about intelligence in the run-up to the Iraq war - Guardian.co.uk - 6th August 2008
 * on the telephone'' - It seems that some terror suspects can't help using their mobiles, despite knowing they're being listened in on - Guardian.co.uk - 29th July 2008
 * Selling our soldiers short - The MoD is spending billions on jets, ships and submarines but failing to properly equip the army - 3rd July 2008
 * year on, the verdict'' - Today marks the first anniversary of Gordon Brown taking over as prime minister. Here Guardian experts assess how he has fared since being handed the keys to No 10 - 27th June 2008
 * Pandora's box of bugs - Whisper it: the byzantine world of surveillance oversight has had a very bad week indeed - 7th February 2008
 * Secrets and lies - National security is being invoked not to protect us but to shield politicians from embarrassment - 11th January 2008
 * The remains of occupation - The handover of power in Basra is motivated by self-interest, and leaves the region on a knife edge - 18th December 2007
 * Unconvinced by the conspiracy theories in The Strange Death of David Kelly by Norman Baker - 1st December 2007
 * Aleksandr Feklisov: KGB officer linked to the Rosenbergs, Klaus Fuchs and the Cuban missile crisis - 20th November 2007 Obituary
 * Nato's whole mission is in doubt if its members won't provide necessary support in Afghanistan - 7th November 2007



News & updates:

 * Richard Norton-Taylor leaves Guardian staff after 38 years - Press Gazette, 6th June 2011



References:


Links:

 * Wikipedia bio
 * doollee.com "not for profit" free online guide to modern playwrights and theatre plays: plays by Richard Norton-Taylor