Jenni Russell



Profile:


Full name: Jenni Russell

Area of interest: Society, Politics, Education, Health, World Affairs

Journals: The Guardian | The Sunday Times

Email: [mailto:jenni.russell@guardian.co.uk jenni.russell@guardian.co.uk]

Website: Guardian.co / Jenni Russell

Blog: Comment is free...

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Biography:
Education: University of Cambridge

Career: Many years experience at ITV and BBC, most recently as editor of BBC Radio 4’s The World Tonight Current position/role: commentator


 * also writes/has written for: New Statesman

Other roles: writer, commentator and broadcaster

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Other: Married to media executive Stephen Lambert



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The Guardian:
Column remit: Society, Politics, Education, Health, World Affairs

Section: Comment & Debate + Comment is free

Role: Commentator

Pen-name:

Email: [mailto:jenni.russell@guardian.co.uk jenni.russell@guardian.co.uk]

Website: Guardian.co / Jenni Russell

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Day published: varies

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All articles: 2011

 * wonder drug on the NHS shelf — love'' - The industrial scale of our healthcare has left many detached from a sense of real caring, but compassion in the NHS is of paramount importance - 9th January
 * cannot hide, so fight the web spies'' - The technologies that exposed diplomats during the WikiLeaks revelations have the capacity to do the same to us, too - 2nd January



All articles: 2010

 * the guests – that’s what our parties forget'' - What make parties work are the moments of recognition, warmth or intimacy. Our recent rush to informality has made them less likely to happen - 26th December
 * you break every rule, principles leak fast'' - Assange and WikiLeaks had exposed some of the wickedness and hypocrisy of states. That was good. Therefore everything WikiLeaks did was good - 12th December
 * national insurance offers precious little if the axe falls'' - British welfare pitches laid-off staff into poverty. We must restore the link between what we pay out and what we get back - 8th December
 * tax all those with free degrees'' - The assumption is that the next generation should bear the cost. That is unfair. People that did well out of being graduates should start paying back - 4th December
 * scolded a yob – and ended up facing prison'' - The case of Kevin Moore is a sobering example of the risks that adults run if they attempt to stop unknown children behaving badly in a public place - 7th November
 * all-out fight for life denies us a happy death'' - Most of us say we hope to die peacefully, at home, with our minds intact and our family around us. Few of us will manage it - 19th September
 * twin room, please, for the two-faced voter'' - Public reaction to the allegations levelled at William Hague has revealed considerable flaws in our priorities and judgement - 5th September
 * up, Nick, or we’ll think the worst'' - Next to the star wattage of David Cameron, the Lib Dems risk being seen as nothing more than sidekicks to the dominant party - 29th August
 * coalition deserves better than the media's infantilising cynicism'' - Instead of clear appraisal, the coalition faces the ritual negativity that is an utterly destructive part of our collective life - 2nd June
 * Baby P inquiry shows witch-hunts still thrive'' - The pressure was on Ed Balls to serve up a head to the howling crowd – and the public checks to ensure calm utterly failed - 14th April
 * bullying has paralysed Labour'' - Far from being irrelevant, Brown's behaviour explains much about Labour's indecisive and ineffectual governance under him - 26th February
 * social work by computer system is protecting no one'' - Hundreds of thousands of children are growing up in disorder and neglect, and our system is prepared to deal with only a fraction of them - 24th January
 * dirty secret: class still matters'' - If social mobility is to get any easier, politicians must be more honest about what’s needed to move from one class to another - 17th January
 * and her baby died at the hands of a callous state'' - The suicide of a single mother shows a welfare state so circumscribed that it excludes those who most need our help - 8th January
 * fixation with control is strangling everyone'' - There was something both sad and ironic about the prime minister’s attempt to sell Labour as the party of optimism in his new year message last week - 3rd January



All articles: 2009

 * and pain all wrapped up in gifts'' - Gifts are never just about the acquisition of things. Each one carries a message and brings a sense of obligation - 27th December
 * homeowner provoked into violence deserves a little mercy'' - It is not reasonable to demand that intruders who threaten to kill should be met with a socially responsible reaction - 20th December
 * Cedric's gilded universe, shame has another meaning'' - The mid-90s marked the moment when the concept of a reasonable salary vanished as status became all-consuming - 15th December
 * must check this bandwagon before the wrong Miliband takes over'' - Ed is passionate, funny and honest; David remote and self-satisfied. The party risks repeating its error with Gordon Brown - 25th November
 * Balls's magic wand can't fix education'' - Hollow 'guarantees' in the Queen's speech point to an education secretary involved in shameless political manoeuvring - 19th November
 * the poverty line, but out of pocket – Britain's missing third'' - Where the wealthy and the very poor have vocal lobbies, a huge band of low earners is ignored - 12th November
 * inversion of power is teaching our children that aggression can pay'' - Disruptive pupils are increasingly accusing teachers of assault, and the authorities are far too ready to believe them - 28th October
 * squeeze can make us better'' - Let's prepare for the fact that when the supply of money is turned off, some sharp rocks are going to be exposed - 25th October
 * like me are in limbo. There is no grown-up party'' - Tory ideas are brighter than Labour's worn-out centralisation. But I just don't trust them on social needs and the economy - 14th October
 * seeks dinner lady. Humans need not apply'' - With its stealthy erosion of adults' powers to deal with children, the state is creating a menace beyond anyone's control - 25th September
 * invasion of liberty. And only the Tories are alert'' - These databases are like weeds. ContactPoint will overburden professionals – and put vulnerable children at greater risk - 16th September
 * talk about welfare to work. The poor know it as welfare to destitution'' - The unemployed are being forced to take huge risks with their security when they move into the world of low-paid labour - 20th August
 * approach others’ children at our peril'' - New unwritten rules about engaging with children are apparently being invented every day - 16th August
 * heel thyself'' - A union's denunciation of high-heeled shoes is an example of the joyless utilitarianism that gives the left such a bad name - 8th August
 * unlock millions of children's lives, Britain must look to the Harlem miracle'' - A piecemeal approach will never deliver change for those at the bottom. We can learn from a bold, radical US experiment - 6th August
 * is the last thing a healthy marriage needs'' - Research on the link between divorce and health is so striking that perhaps we should all view our partners in a new light - 2nd August
 * children today, table manners still trump talent'' - Equality of opportunity and ambition alone are not enough. The barriers to social mobility are far more complex - 29th July
 * Labour's great mistake is to think we are all automatons'' - The party's robotic calculus ignored the fact that public services are about people's real, social and emotional needs - 15th July
 * education, Labour failed our children'' - The government has finally acknowledged that its centralised control of schools doesn't work – but for many, it's too late - 27th June
 * starts by giving MPs real clout to quiz the leaders'' - If Brown is serious about reinventing politics, then select committees must have their authority and independence restored - 26th June
 * Gordon, Labour can flourish'' - Gordon Brown's secretive, resentful style has paralysed Labour. He must go in order for ideas to flourish once more - 8th June
 * Titanic moment'' - What we've seen so far of MPs' expenses is the tip of the iceberg. So why are politicians still just rearranging the deckchairs? - 23rd May
 * a week. That's Dave's reward for 20 years of work'' - Losing your job is bad enough. But in the British system people with long work records are in for a particularly nasty shock - 21st May
 * Pay real wages, not phoney expenses'' - A new politics: The paradoxical root of the expenses scandal is that MPs are underpaid. We must tighten allowances but increase salaries - 20th May
 * can't depend on liberals for equality. We need radical action now'' - Gender quotas in politics and the boardroom are the best way to shake out powerful men out of their cosy assumptions - 11th May
 * goes rambling'' - Designed to restore his limping political authority, Brown's education speech was hobbled by his centralising instincts - 6th May
 * sack a nurse for exposing cruelty is a farcical injustice'' - Margaret Haywood is the wrong person to punish for this NHS failure. The message to every would-be whistleblower is clear - 28th April
 * was a great moral victory. Then teachers lost the plot'' - The NUT was poised to put the nail in the coffin of destructive Sats tests. But that was scuppered by an absurd pay claim - 16th April
 * to be a nude cleaner? Then pop into the jobcentre'' - It's a huge leap from selling sex toys in a shop to selling your sexuality to strange men. Yet the law makes no distinction - 7th April
 * education tragicomedy'' - School league tables have always been misleading, and there's nothing reliable about test results. The system is ripe for reform - 2nd April
 * will all suffer if Cameron's brand of Conservatism fails'' - A Tory government is all but inevitable. The left is best served by engaging with the policies of a leader still open to ideas - 3rd March
 * love that shaped a leader'' - David Cameron talked about his son in a way that was neither sentimental nor politically manipulative: just honest - 26th February
 * and suspicion are no way to build a good society'' - Instead of protecting us, a rule-bound, risk-averse, box-ticking culture is making us passive and increasingly inhibited - 4th February
 * can Labour still fear to act for a fairer, greener land?'' - Casino capitalism has proved rotten at its core, and people are crying out for ideas. A bolder Brown could transform society - 19th January
 * of the rituals of old, death maroons us in grief'' - The pain of bereavement is worsened by isolation, but few of us now know how to speak about their own - or others' - loss - 2nd January



All articles: 2008

 * the party's over, will the young really pick up the tab?'' - There is little fairness in expecting future workers to support the gilded pensions of a generation who had it so much easier - 12th December 2008
 * no longer at risk'' - They may live in stinking, chaotic homes with alcoholic parents, but the system can't protect them - 8th December 2008
 * must dare to rethink the welfare that benefits no one'' - The left has long been blind to the dependency culture that deters adults from flexible work and damages their chlidren - 21st November 2008
 * the telephonic frontline'' - Phone-bashing by a giddyingly broad group of helpers contributed to the Democrats' historic victory - 5th November 2008
 * by the radio star'' - The BBC has long let big names such as Brand and Ross lord it over editors. I learned this the hard way - 31st October 2008
 * correct answer'' - The abolition of Sats at 14 was a welcome surprise. Now Balls must scrap tests for 11-year-olds too - 16th October 2008
 * all-seeing state is about to end privacy as we know it'' - Plans for a vast central database of our emails, phone calls and texts will see everyone monitored as a potential suspect - 8th October 2008
 * Sarah Palin effect'' - Labour conferences love Jacqui Smith, but her speech, like others today, felt detached from events in the real world - 21st September 2008
 * following procedure - that's the mantra of cost-cutting Britain'' - The misery of the call centre experience shows customer and employee alike are dragged down in the name of efficiency - Thursday, 14th August 2008
 * Adults have surrendered to the Lords of the Flies - 10th August 2008
 * There's a new divide in politics, and Cameron is on the better side of it - The Tories share many of the government's policy aims. But it's the promise of less state control that makes Cameron electable - Monday, 4th August 2008
 * Jordan and the posh tent - The glamour model's polo snub was less about class snobbery than brand incompatibility - Saturday, 2nd August 2008
 * Snobbery? No, Jordan - you're just a brand clash - As a glamour model who works hard at her image, Katie Price should know it was simply wrong for the polo sponsors - Friday, 1st August 2008
 * Balls' test answer? More of the futile, top-down plans that Labour loves - The minister's brazen denial of evidence that his school tests damage children is typical of this government's culture - Monday, 28th July 2008
 * This is a barbaric way to run the frontline of the NHS - A&E is still a distressing holding pen for the sick and vulnerable, where the state has abdicated all responsibility for care - Thursday, 10th July 2008
 * Adults must help make the streets safe - Teenage knife crime thrives in our public spaces because grownups don't want to intervene - Thursday, 3rd July 2008
 * Out for what they can get - For Jacqui Smith, the right limit on detention without charge is whatever parliament will waive through. Labour has ditched principles for pragmatism - Wednesday, 11th June 2008
 * mirage of meritocracy has sold our children short'' - Despite the promise of equality of opportunity, social mobility has come to a halt and a generation has been left stranded - Thursday, 5th June 2008
 * is blinded by its lack of an oven-ready new leader'' - Thursday, 22nd May 2008
 * Failing tests - Sats are putting a generation off learning, without teaching them the critical skills they really need in order to do well - Tuesday, 13th May 2008
 * man of hidden shallows is alienating millions of voters'' - From post offices to GPs, Brown seems oblivious to the impact of decisions. Does his party have the guts to change his ways? - Wednesday, 16th April 2008
 * Return of post - Why is the government pushing ahead with the deeply unpopular closure policy? Post offices may need subsidising, but the community benefits are huge - Wednesday, 9th April 2008
 * The NUT has cried wolf too often, but this time it's right - Our children are being chewed up by the misguided strategies of the education system, and they need rescuing - Wednesday, 26th March 2008
 * Butterflies dashed against steel - The government's refusal to listen to the huge protests against shutting local post offices is yet another reason for disillusionment with politics - Thursday, 20th March 2008
 * We're all poorer for making the Post Office turn a profit - In the name of supposed efficiency, politicians are destroying a vital social network that helps us live green, local lives - Wednesday, 5th March 2008
 * Labour's performance anxiety - I had hoped the sobering experience of the new Sats pilots might shake faith in test-based education - Thursday, 21st February 2008
 * The folly of our test fixation is plain to all. Except ministers - No wonder the Sats pilot results have been held back: they will only bring more proof of the damage this approach causes - Thursday, 7th February 2008
 * We rage at Hain and Conway but miss the real profligacy - MPs' much-publicised transgressions are as nothing against the gross waste of public money on PFIs and consultancy - Wednesday, 30th January 2008
 * Inequality is closing down our concern for others - As the middle classes feel the pain of comparison with the super-rich, we lose all enthusiasm for the common good - 18th January 2008



Articles: 2006/07

 * Safe or sorry? - Liberty and the state: Ministers think good intentions are enough when it comes to civil liberties - but they're wrong - Friday, 14th December 2007
 * Theory and reality - Well-intentioned as it is, much of Labour's new 10 year plan for children makes my heart sink - Tuesday, 11th December 2007
 * The business of governing is much harder than we would like to believe - Disregarding their own manifest failings, senior civil servants rely on the convention that ministers carry the can - 28th November 2007
 * Even if you've got nothing to hide, there's plenty to fear - The blithe trust in the benign power of the state is astonishing - and in Fortress Britain, it is plainly undeserved - 21st November 2007
 * Ten years of bold education boasts now look sadly hollow - It will be hard politically but Labour must accept its vaunted policies on schools haven't worked - and change them now - 14th November 2007
 * Sorry Gordon, it's window dressing - Welcome though the prime minister's new tone on civil liberties is, let's not be fooled into believing it signals a true change in direction - Friday, 26th October 2007
 * The broken society's Mr Fixit - Conservatives 07: Can Iain Duncan Smith's remarkably nuanced grasp of social ills survive the crude imperatives of an election campaign? - Tuesday, 2nd October 2007
 * Hearing is believing - This morning Tony Blair finally gave his endorsement to Gordon Brown - but the words didn't exactly trip off his tongue - Friday, 11th May 2007
 * Proportionate force - States legitimately back diplomacy with the ultimate sanction of force. The same principle applies to smacking and parental authority - Wednesday, 29th November 2006
 * New icing, old cake - David Davis's defense of civil liberties got little applause at Conservative conference - Monday, 2nd October 2006
 * Fringe benefits - Labour conference is not only about Brown and Blair, delegates also debate how to improve our experience of public services - Tuesday, 26th September 2006
 * Hormones hung up my boots - I learned the hard way that girls and boys cannot play football together as equals much beyond the age of 11 - Thursday, 27th July 2006
 * Identity crisis? - The government seems to be going cold on its plans to introduce ID cards. Let's hope there is a chance to halt this intrusive, costly and unnecessary scheme - Wednesday, 26th July 2006
 * An act for parliament - Amid yesterday's elections, the government slipped out the news that it had climbed down over the legislative and regulatory reform bil - Friday, 5th May 2006
 * Listen please, Mr Clarke - Audio: Hear Helena Kennedy's warnings about the dangers of the government's illiberal reforms. The home secretary definitely should - Friday, 28th April 2006
 * Fighting talk - Charles Clarke's attack on the liberal media was a piece of brutish political theatre - Tuesday, 25th April 2006
 * Can anything be done? - The response to my piece this week about the way our democracy is being hi-jacked showed the rage and impotence many people feel - Friday, 7th April 2006
 * Cry freedom - If you care about your civil liberties, start agitating - today - Friday, 17th March 2006



Links:

 * New Statesman articles