Dominic Lawson



Profile:


Full name: Dominic Ralph Campden Lawson

Area of interest: Politics, Society

Journals: The Independent, The Sunday Times

Email: [mailto:d.lawson@independent.co.uk d.lawson@independent.co.uk]

Website: Independent/Commentators | TimesOnline

Blog:

Agent:

Networks:



Biography:
Education: Westminster School; Christ Church, Oxford: politics, philosophy and economics

Career: BBC: researcher; Financial Times: energy correspondent, Lex column(ist) (won the Wincott Award); The Spectator: editor, 1990/1995; The Sunday Telegraph: editor, 1995/2005; The Independent: editorial writer and columnist, 2006- also see:
 * Profile: Dominic Lawson, The Guardian, 14th June 2005
 * Telegraph owners fire Lawson, The Guardian, 15th June 2005

Current position/role: The Independent and The Sunday Times: Columnist


 * also writes/has written for: Daily Mail

Other roles: The Sunday Times: contributes book reviews and interviews

Other activities:

Disclosures:

Viewpoints/Insight: BBC News: Curriculum Vitae: Dominic Lawson

TV/Radio:

Controversy/Criticism:
 * Magazine of the Right That Tripped Up a Tory, Deborah Stead, New York Times, 19th July 1990 (interview with Nicholas Ridley that led to the cabinet minister's resignation over remarks about Germany and the EU)
 * Editor 'provided cover for spies', Ian Traynor & Richard Norton-Taylor, The Guardian, 26th January 2001 (accussed, while editor of The Spectator, of assisting MI6)

Awards/Honours: Wincott Award winner at the Financial Times

Other: Son of former Tory Chancellor of the Exchequer, Nigel Lawson; Cousin of George Monbiot and solicitor Fiona Shackleton



Books & Debate:

 * End Game: Kasparov vs. Short (1994) ISBN 0517-59810-8
 * The inner game (2008) ISBN 1-843-82137-0

Latest work:

Speaking/Appearances:

Current debate: 

The Independent:
Column remit: Political and social issues

Section:

Role: Commentators

Pen-name:

Email: [mailto:d.lawson@independent.co.uk d.lawson@independent.co.uk]

Website: Independent.co / Dominic Lawson

Commissioning editor:

Day published: Tuesday and Friday

Regularity: Twice-weekly

Column format:

Average length:



Articles: 2011

 * true champion won't accept defeat'' - Murray moved like a loser. He winced with an impression of pain - 1st February
 * do we believe there's virtue in our choice of food?'' - Because thinness is seen to be beautiful, dieting has become a form of self-sacrifice - 25th January
 * population timebomb is a myth'' - Experts coming to the view it has all been one giant false alarm - 18th January
 * mothers... a lesson to us all'' - Amy Chua's theories seem to bear fruit. But they run counter to the doctrine of modern Western parenting - 11th January
 * not have a return to renting?'' - If Grant Shapps's aim is to end the obsession with owning property, he should worry less about how people get on the ladder - 4th January



Articles: 2010

 * climate deal that flatters to deceive'' - Cancun made no advance on the vapid pledges of Copenhagen - 14th December
 * you're scared of Jaws, don't swim'' - Having avoided being blown up, why tempt fate by swimming in Shark Bay? - 7th December
 * wuz robbed of our foolish faith in victory'' - English football obsessives seem unprepared to consider the possibility of defeat and are therefore always convinced that such a result is grossly unjust - 4th December
 * is gold dust for diplomats'' - The best information will be ignored if the recipient does not want to believe it - 30th November
 * Osborne and the Irish bailout'' - It must be galling for the Irish to be relying on the Brits for a lifeline - 23rd November
 * honest is no longer official policy'' - Now Phil Woolas has been banned from parliament for lying on his election leaflets, I suppose the Liberal Democrat MPs who vote for increasing university fees will all be chucked out as well - 17th November
 * a window, lose the argument'' - Liberation movements based on brute force are corrupted by the experience - 16th November
 * the Germans can teach America'' - Germany will side with China in accusing the US of debasing the dollar - 9th November
 * is one thing, bullying another'' - The officer rang easyJet and told them not to allow my father on the plane, lying that he had 'not passed through security' - 2nd November
 * parallel morality for celebrities'' - Fame does not transform crass behaviour into something marvellous - 19th October
 * far must we go to appease envy?'' - On this proposition, supermodels should pay super-tax - 12th October
 * a schoolchild. How hilarious'' - Richard Curtis's film will hang round his neck like a stinking fish - 5th October
 * really is to blame'' - The real cause of so much abuse of children is the breakdown of family life - 28th September
 * Benedict... an apology'' - I suspect it is precisely the unpolitical nature of Pope Benedict that gives him a certain popular appeal - 21st September
 * and poor agree on cutting taxes'' - Those most dependent on public services that know their inefficiencies - 14th September
 * every airport tale is bad'' - If you are going to lose your passport, Amsterdam is the place to do it - 7th September
 * has never been just cricket'' - Many players see the game as simply a way of earning a crust - 31st August
 * learn from your sisters'' - Numbers of places at good universities going to middle-class ladies are soaring - 24th August
 * sin of the rich is to seem happy'' - Verily, it is said, no good deed goes unpunished - 10th August
 * banks are doing a good job'' - Osborne believes private sector growth will replace public-sector employment - 3rd August
 * we tax cars, then why not cattle?'' - When world leaders talk about climate change, vegetarianism never crops up - 20th July
 * you are about to be dazzled by a flash minister'' - If Mandelson's memoirs only now tell the truth, how does the media deal with political reporting that often proves bogus? - 16th July
 * not control, is the answer'' - As Africans become more affluent they would tend to have smaller families - 13th July
 * salaries bring out the stalker in us'' - Even high-earners at the Corporation have a right to privacy - 6th July
 * lesson from the Napoleonic Wars'' - When public expenditure is cut, the consequence is highly visible - 29th June
 * isn't cutting for the fun of it'' - There's an inherent absurdity in the repeated assertions by Labour that the Conservatives are actually relishing what they are about to do - 22nd June
 * isn't anti-British. Or anti-oil'' - BP's chairman has been allocated the role of sacrificial offering to the gods - 15th June
 * can't have it both ways'' - Our service and financial sectors have been successful over a sustained period - 1st June
 * me lectures from deluded actors'' - Jeremy Irons is the standard-bearer for all eternal misanthropes - 25th May
 * such a big spill after all'' - Oil companies have as much concern for humankind as their critics - 18th May
 * and Liberals are not unnatural bedfellows'' - ... not now the Lib Dems aren't led by Charlie Kennedy - 11th May
 * curse of the 24-hour news agenda'' - As one battle-weary civil servant said to me: 'If you want to send a message, write a letter; laws are too important to be used as a form of advertising' - 4th May
 * curse of the Bullingdon Club'' - The middle class is so much part of the identity of Mr Cameron's party - 27th April
 * Pope is vilified, Polanski indulged'' - I had always imagined that it was people who raped children, not organisations - 20th April
 * public want honesty, but not when it comes to their taxes'' - It is a myth that Churchill's 'blood, toil and tears' speech was welcome to the British - 13th April
 * Mandelson makes the case for Divine Right'' - New Labour has amply demonstrated its unfitness for office over a dozen years - 6th April
 * wasn't wishy-washyness that helped the Tories in 1979'' - It's not enough for Cameron to be the anybody-but-Gordon candidate - 30th March
 * Law for detecting hypocrisy'' - I wonder if Labour MPs are less generous than their Tory rivals - 23rd March
 * are for the pollsters, not the public'' - An election campaign free of opinion polls would be marvellous - 16th March
 * deserve better than this'' - It is depressingly easy to imagine how this initiative got forgotten - 9th March
 * success of faith schools'' - An accumulated educational wisdom lies at the heart of many of these schools - 2nd March
 * should be praying to lose this election'' - Then Brown would be the victim of his own excessive spending - 23rd February
 * can the state support homeopathy?'' - It's terrifying what chemists recommend when asked for 'a natural remedy' - 9th February
 * all these climate revelations were a dastardly foreign plot'' - It hasn't occurred to King that the emails might have been leaked by an insider - 2nd February
 * dependent life need not be a pointless life'' - Other people's sympathies are with Frances Inglis. Mine are with her son - 26th January
 * class war when all MPs belong to an elite'' - Outside Westminster Balls would seem indistinguishable from Cameron - 19th January
 * police would rather advise us than protect us'' - Had Mr Singh dialled 999, does anyone believe the muggers would've been caught? - 12th January
 * we are all under suspicion, then we are all threatened'' - People meekly accept official behaviour - 5th January



Articles: 2009

 * forget that Jesus was Jewish'' -Jews do not come knocking on your door like some Christian evangelicals - 22nd December
 * up for the great emissions-fest'' - Do world leaders believe what they say about the imminence of disaster? - 8th December
 * exactly should Cadbury stay British?'' - Britain has gained not lost by being open to foreign capital investment - 1st December
 * will always be a foreign land for the British'' - 'The Continent' is what we called it, with the understanding we were not of it - 24th November
 * stand up for Michael McIntyre'' - Luvvie-land has long had contempt for bourgeois values - 17th November
 * only options are to double up in Afghanistan or leave'' - At a risk of sounding callous, the number of casualties is actually small - 10th November
 * thirst for power led to this confusion over drugs'' - How many MPs would have criminal records if police had found them smoking drugs? - 3rd November
 * Carr and the pomposity of outrage'' - MPs have been quick to join in the confection of fury over a comedian's joke - 27th October
 * prison will deter thugs'' - We imprison just 12 people for every 1,000 crimes, compared to 33 in Ireland - 20th October
 * another phoney war: the one on climate change'' - There's no glory in spending $10m a year on giant nozzles that squirt sulphur dioxide - 13th October
 * gets her taxes in a twist'' - Few bleats are less attractive than threats by the rich to quit the country - 6th October
 * not forget what Polanski did'' - The film director has been treated with extraordinary indulgence - 29th September
 * game shows? Rubbish'' - Why must the BBC to wage war against ITV, or indeed Sky? - 22nd September
 * Clark was not 'wonderful'. He was sleazy and cruel'' - The diarist and Tory minister made his wife wretchedly miserable - 15th September
 * are still appeasing dictators'' - In dealing with Libya the Foreign Office has been guilty of institutional cringe - 8th September
 * Megrahi deal is justice, then we're all bananas'' - As ever, New Labour is obsessed with politics before government - 1st September
 * silence over Lockerbie'' - The Prime Minster's response underlines the absurdity of the entire episode - 25th August
 * not Oxbridge's fault if state school pupils don't apply'' - The perils of reverse class discrimination - 11th August
 * new breed of England cricket fan'' - There is no fun in being within several counties of the 'Barmy Army' - 4th August
 * it's 'Not Now, Minister''' - Demoralisation of the civil service has evolved rapidly into treachery - 21st July
 * West's aid to Africa does nothing but ease its conscience'' - I do wish Cameron would break with the policy of oiling up to rock stars like Bono - 14th July
 * dignity and the darker side of family dynamics'' - Many of the 114 British 'clients' of Dignitas were not suffering terminal illness at all - 7th July
 * wrong with MPs having jobs outside Parliament?'' - Mr Brown genuinely believes that a full-time political class is a good thing - 30th June
 * rage to succeed, not talent, is the mark of sporting greatness'' - Andy Murray might come across as 'uncultured', but he has a furnace of a mind - 23rd June
 * system of justice is lethal'' - How can it be possible for one probation officer to handle 60 "clients" at once? - 16th June
 * bleating and hold an election'' - It is not about better governance. It is all about Labour MPs keeping their jobs - 9th June
 * should be more like a gentlemen's club, not less'' - There's a form of subliminal class-based attack that Brown persists in delivering - 2nd June
 * us from the popular will'' - It is the opposite of parliamentary democracy - 26th May
 * liberals advocate torture'' - The CIA employed waterboarding under the pretence that is was 'not torture' - 19th May
 * is not the corruption that galls – it is the sheer pettiness'' - These are the petty acts of spongeing by inconsequential people - 12th May
 * social workers is no answer'' - What no one seems willing to discuss is the real horror of the Baby P case - 5th May
 * taxes will drive businesses abroad'' - I was in the Commons when my father removed the old higher rate - 28th April
 * doesn't need Shakespeare to tell us what Brown's fate is'' - The PM is well cast as the tragic flawed figure at the heart of 'The Scottish Play' - 21st April
 * is the victim of his licensed assassins'' - Brown’s courtiers never, ever, employ arguments of substance - 14th April
 * not the rich we hate, but those enriched at our expense'' - In a boom, envy; in a bust, anger - 7th April
 * are like bankers...'' - ... they love spending other people's money - 31st March
 * done to our women cricketers'' - Just don't ask me to watch them... - 24th March
 * an apology helpful?'' - The non-denial denial has become a familiar weapon in the politician's armoury of deception - 17th March
 * need a villain – and Sir Fred is it'' - This need not have happened if the Government had paid more attention - 3rd March
 * not fall for these ‘green’ credentials'' - Why should the British tax-payer throw money in Mr Deripaska's cap? - 24th February
 * sorry tale of Scottish shame – and English tolerance'' - Gargantuan folly has occurred North of the Border. And who is paying the costs? - 18th February
 * shame and English tolerance'' - Gargantuan folly has occurred North of the Border. And who is paying the costs? - 17th February
 * are a political issue, not a moral one'' - Don't pretend that rewards are a matter of virtue, not profit - 10th February
 * roots in socialism'' - Solidarity with foreign labour has always been a difficult sell - 3rd February
 * warily, when charities turn political'' - Christian Aid can no longer be considered an honest broker - 27th January
 * blame computers for this crisis'' - Electronic calculation is not the same as wisdom - 20th January
 * Harry and political cowardice'' - One oleaginous creep accuses him of being like Bernard Manning - 13th January



Articles: 2008

 * Bishops' moral cowardice'' - The Church Commissioners sold a mortgage portfolio for £135m last year - 30th December 2008
 * rich people lack... even more money'' - Most of us would be content with £873m. Not the likes of David Ross - 16th December 2008
 * is worthless'' - The EU has claimed success while increasing emissions by 13 per cent - 9th Dcember 2008
 * 'life' should mean life'' - Sometimes the public feel the perpetrator should not be released - 2nd December 2008
 * on the doctors prejudiced against Down Syndrome'' - The medical profession has a visceral bias in favour of eugenic termination - 25th November 2008
 * a divine spark to genius as well as hard graft'' - When it comes to the example of chess, Malcolm Gladwell is behind the curve - 18th November 2008
 * racism of our adoption rules'' - This dead-end ideology still holds white social workers in thrall - 11th November 2008
 * French find our obsessions ridiculous'' - Comedians' taboo tackling has been pushed beyond reason - 4th November 2008
 * election player has been overlooked: Osama bin Laden'' - Democratic Party supporters are still all-a-quiver with anxiety - 24th October 2008
 * is not enough, Mr Darling'' - We need a bonfire of planning regulations - 21st October 2008
 * pension divide: which side are you on?'' - Until recently many in the private sector felt relaxed about their retirement. Not now - 17th October 2008
 * should not have left the gold standard'' - The Bullion Vault in London reports a 'phenomenal' interest in its product - 14th October 2008
 * bank on the Government'' - Brown said that a bust could never happen under his bespoke system of regulation - 10th October 2008
 * schools that simply do not believe in failure'' - There is an unholy alliance against academies, with their high expectations, of the old left in teaching unions and some thinkers on the right - 7th October 2008
 * fingerprints are all over the financial crisis'' - The least well off are going to face the most stringent terms for mortgages - 3rd October 2008
 * should anyone trust Joe Biden?'' - The Democrats' candidate for VP doesn't deserve to be called a sage - 30th September 2008
 * borrowers must take their share of the blame too'' - 26th September 2008
 * we go again: another dirty fight'' - The 2008 race been conducted with the same level of abuse as tradition demands - 23rd September 2008
 * hints for saving the world'' - 'I do love my kids, but not a day passes when I don't tell them what a burden they are to the planet' - 19th September 2008
 * simple lesson in humanity'' - Every person with disabilities is defined – like all of us – by unique personalities and aspirations - 17th September 2008
 * complain about private schools. Learn from them'' - Within state education, political prejudices are being put before the academic interest of pupils - 12th September 2008
 * 'babe' has floored the left'' - Sarah Palin could yet reveal herself the Bible-bashing bimbo of her critics' imagination, but I doubt it - 9th September 2008
 * to squeeze the Russians'' - 'Can we suggest, Prime Minister, that you announce a public inquest into the murder of Mr Litvinenko?' - 5th September 2008
 * Palin is a natural born winner'' - Sarah Palin is certainly adding plenty of fuel to the somewhat depleted McCain rocket, and not just because she is a woman – the same sex, or so we have been reliably informed, as Hillary Clinton - 2nd September 2008
 * believe obesity figures – they're spun for a purpose'' - 29th August 2008
 * Prince is entitled to his views – but not his ignorance'' - It's shocking to hear this millionaire Gloucestershire farmer denounce the 'Green Revolution' in India - 15th August 2008
 * Can Obama hope to win if he lacks the common touch?'' - 12th August 2008
 * you think China is a police state, just look at us in Britain'' - Friday, 8th August 2008
 * The clash of civilisations at Beijing - It was inevitable that the more the Games drew near, the more difficult it would be to make a fuss - Friday, 1st August 2008
 * These MPs only really care about one thing... their jobs - The public could be forgiven for seeing the fight as having nothing at all to do with their own lives - Tuesday, 29th July 2008
 * We should have no reason to be surprised when a doctor turns out to be a murderer - Friday, 25th July 2008
 * The hypocrisy of the population zealots - The control freaks have been skilful in adopting the political concerns of the day to their cause - Tuesday, 15th July 2008
 * He'd never credit her, but Cameron is sounding more and more like Mrs Thatcher - Friday, 11th July 2008
 * I'm sorry, but Brown is talking rubbish - Tuesday, 8th July 2008
 * Tories used to condemn the politics of envy. Now they're seeing it from the other side - Friday, 4th July 2008
 * Meet the new Obama, master of the U-turn - Some of those most captivated by the Democrat candidate are now feeling distinctly queasy - Tuesday, 1st July 2008
 * This child protection hysteria deflects attention from a real, and growing, danger - Friday, 27th June 2008
 * So now we will have degrees in quackery - What, really, is the difference between acupuncture and psychic surgery? - Tuesday, 24th June 2008
 * This is more than a political knock-about – it's the inexcusable smearing of an opponent - Friday, 20th June 2008
 * The sheer hypocrisy of this debate on oil - The developing countries have a policy of subsidising the price – and on a vast scale - Tuesday, 17th June 2008
 * Why should Democratic Unionists hold us to ransom? - Friday, 13th June 2008
 * The triumph of strategy over decency - One of the ruling principles of New Labour is never to be outflanked on security issues - Tuesday, 10th June 2008
 * Don't blame free trade for food price rises - Friday, 6th June 2008
 * We all want to protect children from sexual abuse – but this is an intrusion too far - Friday, 30th May 2008
 * We're hiding from the truth: eugenics lives on - Rights imputed to all 'viable' unborn children are withdrawn if the child is not... normal''] - Tuesday, 27th May 2008
 * Mr Brown can try to blame this crisis on Opec, but the real fault lies with his own tax policy - Friday, 23rd May 2008
 * The best population policy is to have none - The humane approach is to let each family, in every country, choose its own fertility rates - Tuesday, 20th May 2008
 * He appears to have robotic self-discipline. But inside, Brown is a ferment of emotion - Friday, 16th May 2008
 * Will we never escape class in this country? - The greatest victims of egalitarianism have been the least well-off not the wealthiest - Tuesday, 13th may 2008
 * I leave Israel with the sinking feeling that hopes of a final settlement are receding - Friday, 9th May 2008
 * There are no lessons to be learned from the Fritzl case – it remains simply inexplicable - Friday, 2nd May 2008
 * Back with a vengeance... the politics of envy - As incomes across the board begin to feel the squeeze, things could really get nasty - Tuesday, 29th April 2008
 * If you want to see a display of pure political courage, then John McCain is your man - Friday, 25th April 2008
 * The staggering cost of renewable energy - The commitment will lead to an increase of about 40 per cent in annual electricity bills - Tuesday, 22nd April 2008
 * Feed the world? Tear down trade barriers and let GM crops flourish across the globe - Friday, 18th April 2008
 * Postcards from the edge of travel-writing - Tuesday, 15th April 2008
 * As they tackle climate change, governments are starving the people they set out to help - Friday, 11th April 2008
 * Beijing is the right place for the Olympics - Tuesday, 8th April 2008
 * The only conspiracy over Diana's death was Fayed's bid to manipulate the British public - Friday, 4th April 2008
 * Food miles are just a form of protectionism - Tuesday, 1st April 2008
 * When Hillary Clinton tells such obvious mistruths, she exposes herself as a fantasist - Friday, 28th March 2008
 * Why China might have Olympic regrets - Tuesday, 25th March 2008
 * Murray Walker might be excited, but why should we care if the BBC has Formula One? - Friday, 21st March 2008
 * You can't keep race out of US politics - Tuesday, 18th March 2008
 * This is a Government which doesn't really believe in the threat of climate change - Friday, 14th March 2008
 * Of course a deaf couple want a deaf child - Tuesday, 11th March 2008
 * You don't have to invent things or industries to become the richest man in the world - Friday, 7th March 2008
 * There's nothing new about Barack Obama - Tuesday, 4th March 2008
 * An absurd tactical ploy – and the paradox of the new Liberal Democrat leader's position - Friday, 29th February 2008
 * Obama must beware of turning into a cult - Tuesday, 26th February 2008
 * Some people can protect themselves against Mohamed Fayed's attacks. Others cannot... - Friday, 22nd February 2008
 * Bottled or tap, we drink far too much water - Tuesday, 19th February 2008
 * I cheered when the Russians said they did not want to hear Clooney's lecture on Darfur - Friday, 8th February 2008
 * Once again, MPs insult our intelligence - Tuesday, 5th February 2008
 * The lesson of Karajan: there is no connection between great art and good character - Friday, 1st February 2008
 * An old dilemma: who wants to live for ever? - Tuesday, 29th January 2008
 * Behind the mask and hype, a humiliating reverse - Friday, 25th January 2008
 * Tasteless - and with a fat chance of success - Tuesday, 22nd January 2008
 * Dead people do matter – and it is a mark of civilisation to treat their remains with respect - Friday, 18th January 2008
 * The unedifying witch-hunt against Hain - Tuesday, 15th January 2008
 * There is a simple reason Brown wants to limit wage rises: he can't afford them - Friday, 11th January 2008
 * Have the Australians been caught out? - Tuesday, 8th January 2008
 * I am glad everyone has the chance to borrow money even if some fall into terrible debt - Friday, 4th January 2008
 * If you want to know what's going to happen in 2008, there are lots of experts who can't tell you - Perhaps the best commentary on the futility of forecasting is provided by the film 'Being There' - Tuesday, 1st January 2008



The Sunday Times:
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Articles:

 * is so yesterday for Generation Google'' - I wonder what the new generation of adults think of the News of the World voicemail hacking scandal; they probably wonder what all the fuss is about - 30th January 2011
 * truth yields to the King’s speech'' - Wars are judged according to their consequences rather than their objectives or origins. This explains why Tony Blair still suffers over Iraq - 23rd January 2011
 * a little fraud for a working-class hero?'' - The Labour party politicians being charged over expenses were members of a party in government that thought the money could never run out - 16th January 2011
 * Cameron dodges the oil price paradox'' - The government is paradoxically arguing that oil must be more expensive to try and save the planet and cheaper to 'end the war on the motorist' - 9th January 2011
 * cry? It’s only a pet we’ve put down'' - Our relationships with pets are based on the delusion that we have real empathy with them. Nonetheless, they can provide emotional security - 2nd January 2011
 * Ken’s criminal claims about prison'' - Insouciance about the most fundamental issue governing the public’s safety is not especially attractive. It is also giving Downing Street conniptions - 12th December 2010
 * silent attack is taking savers for fools'' - There has not been a savers’ march on Downing Street, but expect a slow-burning fury if inflation really is the government’s big idea - 28th November 2010
 * confounds the nation’s class warriors'' - The people most disappointed by Prince William and Ms Middleton’s happy news are the nation’s class warriors, for whom this is a bitter reverse - 21st November 2010
 * is torture, Mr Bush, and it doesn’t work'' - Bush may insist that waterboarding yielded information that foiled attacks in the UK, but his claim is given little credence by Britain's security services - 14th November 2010
 * who’s afraid of the Yellow Peril?'' - Anti-Chinese sentiment in the West is a reflection of our fear that we may lack the ability to match their enterprise and diligence - 7th November 2010
 * by gene, we turn back into brutes'' - Once it is accepted that a condition is entirely pre-ordained at the moment of conception, it can erode the will to self-improvement - 31st October 2010
 * — these cuts are just a scratch'' - Each pound not taken from the taxpayer to fund the public sector is a pound more in the pockets of the private citizen - 17th October
 * those women — oh Ed, you lucky man'' - Are there any other disadvantages that Miliband might expect as a result of having a shadow cabinet with 11 women in it? - 10th October 2010
 * you don’t fancy the euro now, Nick'' - The interminable troubles of the euro, illustrated by Germany's nostalgia for the Deutschmark, has silenced Lib Dem Europhiles - 3rd October 2010
 * up, Danny — you’re a dodger too'' - The hypocrisy demonstrated by the Lib Dems' exhibits a level of shamelessness to which incredulous laughter is the only response - 26th September 2010
 * motives behind the phone hacking row'' - The row over Andy Coulson's alleged involvement in phone hacking has been engendered by profound political and media rivalries - 11th September 2010
 * ... the rumour is that you’re killing privacy'' - The privacy ship has sailed, and we now live in a society where we are completely addicted to sharing, however sensitive the information - 5th September 2010
 * bits & melons – I learnt it all in Albania'' - Clarkson went on a holiday trip to Albania learn about cement, but came away with his mind enriched by so much more - 5th September 2010
 * final word: he wants power again'' - Tony Blair's memoirs have revealed that he wishes to be in our thoughts and part of the public consciousness as much as ever - 5th September 2010
 * Tories regret the immigration promise'' - If remaining on welfare seems more rewarding than employment, why should people feel compelled - or even want - to work? - 29th August 2010
 * Dave is on a smarm offensive'' - The Indians will buy our products if they think they are reasonably priced and of high quality — and for no other reason - 1st August 2010
 * Piers, Britain’s got a talent for envy'' - Piers Morgan's success will arouse a small-minded envy amongst many in England who despise the open pursual of fame - 18th July 2010
 * crooks walk free and you tax the poor'' - Ken Clarke's plan to reduce prison expenditure by turning incarceration into community service may affect poor communities negatively - 4th July 2010
 * down your puns, Tommy, the war’s over'' - The hyperbolic media coverage of England's footballing rivalry and use of wartime symbolism is little more than a marketing ploy - 27th June 2010
 * a good look: now pick out the mass killer'' - There is no feasible method of screening for mass murderers, too many false positives and far too many false negatives - 6th June 2010
 * back our millions, Mandelson'' - In order to get re-elected the trick is to buy votes by handing out social and other benefits with borrowed money - 30th May
 * lie – try misspeaking instead'' - In America not only can you be what you want, but the public will even accept an invented past - 24th May 2010
 * the Whig in Tory clothing'' - Those on the left who imagine that they are the only genuine 'progressives' exhibit a deep intellectual conceit - 16th May 2010
 * plan B for the Asda election'' - In government, the Tory leader will have no choice but to engage in the confrontations that he has shunned to date - 9th May 2010
 * carping – you didn’t dare to stand'' - The public are giving them the thumbs-down but I salute our despised politicians in the week that makes or breaks them - 2nd May
 * tolerance sets craziness sky-high'' - When it comes to the deaths of children, few governments feel able to resist the urge to pander to the popular rage - 25th April 2010
 * battle of the public-school boys'' - Sigmund Freud had a perfect phrase for the rivalry between David Cameron and Nick Clegg: the narcissism of minor differences - 18th April 2010
 * you vote, take my Bentley test'' - A few days into the election campaign, we can already discern the infuriating catch-phrase: 'They are all just the same' - 11th April 2010
 * tower and the Olympic curse'' - In its bombast and excess the monument to the London Olympic Games is in perfect harmony with what the events have become - 4th April 2010
 * Fritz, we won’t stop mentioning the war'' - A new investigation probes the continued inability of much of the German establishment to confront truths about the past - 28th March 2010
 * the right thing, Darling'' - The chancellor is a mild-mannered man; if he were more abrasive, I imagine he would be tempted to harangue those picketing the Treasury - 21st March 2010
 * works if we keep criminals in'' - One in seven of those charged with murder is a person under the supervision of the probation service - 14th March 2010
 * the leaders’ debates – cue the yawn-ometer'' - It would be a genuine loss if the party leaders used the TV debates as an excuse not to enter the studios of Newsnight during the campaign - 8th March 2010
 * door to euthanasia must stay shut'' - It should be possible to remove national-treasure status as well as bestow it. I nominate Sir Terry Pratchett - 28th February 2010
 * Met had no chance against race-card Ali'' - In one sense Commander Ali Dizaei owes his downfall to the discrediting of the police in which he himself played such a part - 14th February 2010
 * is on a crazy crusade'' - The deputy leader of the Labour party still believes that the state will set us free from the tyranny of individual choice - 7th February 2010
 * Blair can never admit to regrets'' - Tony Blair's messianic moral imperative and his craving for an international role dovetailed perfectly - 31st January 2010
 * the burqa is simply not British'' - If you are genuinely terrified of your neighbour because she is wearing a full veil, see a psychiatrist about your unusual phobia - 24th January 2010
 * the Google dragon stirs'' - History will record the ultimate outcome of this ideological conflict between free expression and thought control - 17th January 2010
 * thinking on climate is frozen solid'' - If we had replaced our fossil-fuel power stations and with wind power, we would be facing an emergency rather than an inconvenience - 10th January 2010
 * will scratch your eyes out'' - China’s mild response to British anger over a drug smuggler's execution could stem from the fact that it had nothing to fear - 3rd January 2010
 * Copenhagen farce is glad tidings for all'' - Anything Europe does to cut its carbon emissions will be irrelevant, at best - 20th December 2009
 * spare us the fake chumminess'' - Politicians have increasingly sought to pretend to their voters that they lead lives exactly like those of the ordinary man in the street - 13th December 2009
 * Tiger's swing, ignore his swinging'' - The vast majority of Tiger Wood’s fanbase are men who care much more about golf than about the women in their own lives - 6th December 2009
 * the case for not pulling the plug'' - It is not the undiagnosed locked-in syndrome that Rom Houben experienced that fills me with horror - 29th November 2009
 * game of two halves: cheating and whining'' - It’s not their fellow cheats the footballers despise, but the referees for not spotting every one of their dishonest tricks - 22nd November 2009
 * we must slay the quango hydra'' - Labour has funnelled vast sums and ever more functions to organisations that are not answerable daily to parliament - 15th November 2009
 * fill church of green gods'' - Countries pay lip-service that an agreement in Copenhagen is necessary to 'save the planet', but it's now clear that no treaty will be agreed - 8th November 2009
 * up, Muslims – we fought for you'' - We can expect Karadzic to boast that he was fighting the Islamist threat to civilisation while Britain and America slept - 1st November 2009
 * rage will kill our Goldman goose'' - Lord Mandelson, the business secretary, spoke darkly of an 'unacceptable return' to past practices, but I beg to differ - 25th October 2009
 * an idea: set the taxman on MPs'' - Legg is only trying to claw back what would never have been paid out if MPs had acted by the spirit of their own rulebook - 18th October 2009
 * men in corridors of power'' - The Tories' success in getting Saint Bono to address their conference is just the latest suggestion of nominal government - 11th October 2009
 * the facts wot lost it for Labour'' - The role of any one newspaper in affecting the outcome of recent general elections has been between minimal and non-existent - 4th October 2009
 * it, this isn’t the all-clear to kill Granny'' - These guidelines might have made it more likely that prosecutions will be brought against those who assist in suicide - 27th September 2009
 * Dr Johnson’s clarity draught, Dave'' - It would be wrong to imagine that Brown’s aversion to the c-word is purely pathological - 20th September 2009
 * petit président needs stuffing, Carla'' - There is something peculiarly intimidating in the very short man of power - 13th September 2009
 * bankers’ bonuses and we will all suffer'' - If such greedy bankers are so socially useless, why should it be a problem if they depart to another country? - 6th September 2009
 * little boy behind Ted the titan'' - It is naive and even childish to believe that those who achieve great things are men and women of less than normal human frailty - 30th August 2009
 * sexing – let’s all race together'' - Let men and women - and all those uncomfortably perched in the middle - compete against each other in a single championship - 23rd August 2009
 * food is just a tax on the gullible'' - I could have become a fatal casualty of the organic movement - 9th August 2009
 * book a ticket to Dignitas just yet'' - A change in the law in the direction of euthanasia would be an encouragement to avaricious or impatient relatives - 2nd August 2009
 * wind power blows, jobs will fall'' - If Miliband believes that switching from coal to wind power will save lives in Africa he is deluded - 19th July 2009
 * not alone in liking dictators'' - As a rule, one should not bother to criticise famous people for the thoughts contained in articles under their name - 12th July 2009
 * British stooges are staring at you'' - The Iranian state media have been broadcasting a series of "confessions" by demonstrators against alleged vote rigging - 5th July 2009
 * pension lesson from elderly bank robbers'' - There is a demographic timebomb about to go off in the hands of our children and grand-children - 28th June 2009
 * you cover it up, we assume the worst'' - "Redaction" – or censorship – can make even the most innocent excision appear suggestive of infamy and depredation - 21st June 2009
 * Sir Alan fire the stereotype?'' - Why should anyone moderate exuberant behaviour to appease the prejudices of others? - 14th June 2009
 * will pull us over the edge'' - A great virtue of the law as it stands is that it protects the most vulnerable, Lord Falconer's proposed changes endanger this - 7th June 2009
 * legal mess exposed by Baby P’s mother'' - Judges are statutorily prevented from ensuring that the punishment fits the crime - 31st May 2009
 * crow but they are dithering on debt'' - Standard & Poor is saying it doubts whether the Conservatives will "put the UK debt burden on a secure downward trajectory" - 24th May 2009
 * eight weasel ways MPs avoid saying sorry'' - Psychologists will be writing doctoral theses for years on the responses by British MPs to the charges of dishonesty - 17th May
 * kukri draws blood at No 10'' - Political arguments should be judged on their merits, rather than by the relative beauty, charm or fame of the proponents - 10th May
 * Miss Lumley, they knew the deal'' - The Gurkhas have much less to complain about than at any time in their long and honourable history - 3rd May 2009
 * launches its custard pie strike'' - Iran knows that opposing Zionism and adopting the cause of the plight of Palestinians appeals to the muslim on the street - 26th April 2009
 * green jobs, the new sub-prime'' - There is something quite comical in the government’s belief that the electric car is a magic recipe - 19th April 2009
 * out, close ranks – it’s the police way'' - The Met's reaction to the circumstances of Ian Tomlinson's death undermines the public trust on which it was formed - 12th April 2009
 * gang pulls a $1 trillion con trick'' - The PM has always been a complete stranger to the true meaning of numbers - 5th April 2009
 * population doom merchants'' - The population control movement is nothing more than an idea in search of an argument - 29th March 2009
 * regulation can’t be right'' - Who regulates the regulators? The answer is obvious: more regulators – and so on until infinity or the public purse runs out - 22nd March
 * Cameron and the meaning of life'' - Even those who think of themselves as sympathetic can be astonishingly insensitive about disability - 1st March 2009
 * Ponzi scheme that's conning us all'' - The government does things that would put a private sector provider in jail - 22nd February
 * new deal is the same old blunder'' - America’s debt is already enormous, even before Obama’s "jump-start" has begun to hoover up the taxpayers’ trillions - 15th February 2009
 * the Pope and selective anti-racism'' - The two are this week’s occupants of the doghouse for those deemed to have offended against public decency - 8th February 2009
 * grateful Mandelson’s car plan is half-baked'' - It’s amazing that the government should be encouraging the public to take on more debt - 1st February
 * PM is spooking the markets'' - The government rushed out plans that are not fully thought out — giving the impression of incompetence, not decisiveness - 25th January
 * in the myth of social immobility'' - One thing that is never asked, is what would be an ideal or even desirable level of social mobility? - 18th January
 * we are not all Hamas now'' - Israelis see this campaign as closer to the spirit of the six-day war. "Ein brera", they say - Hebrew for "no choice" - 11th January (see: 2008–2009 Israel–Gaza conflict)
 * picks a loser on purpose'' - Ford sank no less than $10 billion into Jaguar in its 19 years of ownership without ever managing to make it profitable - 28th December 2008
 * bank on a day of reckoning'' - The sad truth is that even the most capable financial regulators will not anticipate every act of fraud - 21st December 2008
 * ‘right to die’ is a fashionable nonsense'' - How can we be said to require a "right" to something that is absolutely unavoidable, whether we want it or not? - 14th December 2008
 * bankers will die a thousand deaths'' - Millions who are net savers are increasingly furious about Brown's pursuit of borrowers' votes - 7th December 2008
 * Clarkson – you’re steering into ruin'' - Gordon Brown is wrong to steer the British economy violently against the direction of travel - 23rd November 2008
 * wel-feral state abandoned Baby P'' - Domestic chaos and moral squalour is encouraged by the welfare state and the permissive society - 16th November 2008



Links:

 * Wikipedia bio