Ian Birrell



Profile:
Full name: Ian Birrell (not to be confused with Ian Burrell, also of The Independent)

Area of interest:

Journals/Organisation: The Independent | Evening Standard | The Guardian

Email: [mailto:i.birrell@independent.co.uk i.birrell@independent.co.uk]

Personal website:

Website: http://www.guardian.co.uk/profile/ian-birrell | Evening Standard

Blog:

Representation:

Networks: https://twitter.com/#!/ianbirrell



Biography:
About: Former deputy editor of The Independent, speechwriter for David Cameron during the 2010 election campaign

Education:

Career: Current position/role:


 * also writes/has written for: The Guardian, The Daily Telegraph, Financial Times

Other roles/Main role:

Other activities:

Disclosures:

Viewpoints/Insight:

Broadcast media:

Video:

Controversy/Criticism: Rwandan leader launches Twitter tirade against British journalist - Paul Kagame, the Rwandan leader and an avid tweeter, launched into a furious tirade on the social networking site after a British journalist labelled him "despotic and deluded" - Daily Telegraph, 16th May 2011

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Books & Debate:


Latest work:

Speaking/Appearances:

Debate: 

All Journals:

 * No regular column



Articles: 2013

 * Think how good the House of Lords could be - What we need is more mavericks, individuals and expertise rather than more tribalism - 3rd August
 * Fear and optimism mix as people face into another Mugabe-rigged election - There are 109,000 centenarians registered despite a life expectancy of 51 - 30th July
 * Politics and religion do mix well after all - Ian Birrell is surprised by the Archbishop Welby's diplomatic handling of payday loans - 28th July
 * Those killed by PMA are victims of the war on drugs - Prohibition causes carnage across the globe. Now people are dying in the UK, will our leaders fix our archaic drug laws? - 27th July
 * The civil service: a monster in Whitehall - We must not be afraid of politicising a civil service unchanged for 100 years and crying out for outside expertise - 16th July
 * Some protests suit Blair more than others - Now the coup threatens to boost extremists, and sends a terrible message worldwide - 10th July
 * The Rolling Stones at Glastonbury: why grandad rock rolls - The Stones' debut at the music festival is thanks to today's fickle fans and a risk-averse music industry - 29th June
 * Worshipping the NHS costs lives - This toxic institution, believed to be the envy of the world, has been poisoned by individuals' self-promotion at the expense of the sick - 23rd June
 * This isn’t ending world hunger. It’s just a sham - Ministers and their mates in the swollen aid industry came up with something cynical - 19th June
 * The NHS is killing disabled people - My daughter is disabled so I know at first hand how badly NHS staff often treat people like her - 22nd May
 * When democracy has blood on its hands - The International Criminal Court was designed for those monsters accused of the world's worst crimes, but democracy has some unexpected consequences - 13th May
 * A Queen's speech ruined by absurd anti-immigration measures - This panicky response to Ukip's rise is wrong on commercial, economic and even the narrowest of party political grounds - 8th May
 * Corrupt, ineffective and hypocritical: Britain should give less aid, not more - It is hard to take seriously South Africa's outrage over Britain's withdrawal of aid - 2nd May
 * Christians being seen as uncool does not add up to persecution - It is hard to take claims of religious intolerance from Christians seriously when UK Muslims are daily subject to real hate crimes - 22nd April
 * We subsidise firms that keep workers in poverty - The Conservatives should back a Living Wage for workers. It would show they cared about ordinary people, while cutting some of the ground beneath Labour - 16th April
 * Margaret Thatcher taught the next generation to set the agenda - By placing a premium on radical thinking the coalition can be anarchic, but all that Labour offers is zombie government - 10th April
 * All we can agree on is that welfare’s in a state - Our complex, wasteful system benefits the rich while the needy are left to struggle with bureaucracy - 2nd April
 * Sir David Nicholson: The man they couldn't hang - The decision to back the NHS chief is morally wrong, and has lost the coalition a rare opportunity to gain trust on health - 30th March
 * The immigration debate: evidence-free and more rancid than ever - The three big parties are pushing cowardly populist policies as they compete to sound as tough as Ukip - 25th March
 * Overseas aid: an indefensible ringfence - Spending on pensions and health makes sense; but the UK's huge aid budget benefits Ukip and consultants, not the global poor - 14th March
 * In Haiti the UN's behaviour is a far cry from being the conscience of the world - The organisation ducked responsibility for the cholera outbreak in denial of the ideals set out in its own charter - 4th March
 * David Cameron needs to stand up for what he really believes in after Eastleigh humiliation - Eastleigh was a humiliation for the Tories - 2nd March
 * From Banks to the 'big six' energy companies - more capitalism, not less of it, is the answer - As the world is getting more prosperous, the Western share of wealth is declining. It's a new world order and we must get used to it - 20th February
 * Legalising drugs would be the perfect Tory policy - It would save money, aid global security and be tough on crime. What could appeal to Conservatives more? - 19th February
 * The Dilnot review has forced us to face the fact we're all living longer. How afraid should we be? - The Coalition deserves credit for confronting a thorny issue, but focusing on middle class concerns about losing homes ignores the plight of many others - 11th February
 * Stafford Hospital: it's the vulnerable and old who are victims of our blind faith in the NHS - This Government has taken positive steps to reform healthcare, but we must face up to a fundamental truth - events at Mid Staffordshire were tragic but far from unique - 7th February
 * Save lives Mr Cameron, but don’t imagine you need to save Africa - Why does Cameron think Africa is in need of redemption? - 2nd February
 * Music is vital to political struggle across Africa – not just in Mali - Banning music in Mali is outrageous, not least because it's crucial to the country's wellbeing - 27th January
 * Davos: Come on, corporate giants. Open up to us - If our Government wants to tackle avoidance, it should compel big businesses to publish exactly how much corporation tax they pay. Luckily Labour support the idea - 26th January
 * How the west misread Mali - Conflict in the Sahel isn't a legacy of western intervention in Libya. But imposing a new order would be a huge mistake - 25th January
 * Musicians of Mali fight for nation's soul - As Islamist militants try to take over, suppressed artists show support for the French - 20th January
 * It is vital to step in now and stop the deadly march of these extremist militias in Mali - If Mopti fell, it would plunge 120,000 into the arms of the Islamists, with their segregation of sexes, banning of music and brutal interpretations of sharia - 14th January
 * Chris Grayling takes one step forward on probation, then one giant step back on jails - The reform of the probation services and closing of creaking Victorian prisons are welcome – but the plan for new mega-jails is a disaster - 11th January
 * For too long the West has been blind to Africa's true nature. Now, we risk being left behind - Turkey, France and Holland are building trade links with resurgent African nations - 9th January



Articles: 2012

 * Disastrous relief for Haiti - Three years on from the quake, it's evident reconstruction has been fatally undermined by greedy and incompetent outsiders - 31st December
 * Churches' hostility to gay marriage only underlines their impotence - It may be low politics or high principle but the Government is right to push for this - 28th December
 * NHS privatisation fears? Grow up - Competition works. This bizarre, nostalgic prejudice against profits only damages the health service - 21st December
 * Put people with learning difficulties at the core of society - People capable of living independent lives with the right support are consigned to units where they are locked up at night - 2nd December
 * Gaza grabs the headlines as Congo once more descends into chaos - Conflict in the Middle East is overshadowing the bloody events in central Africa - 25th November
 * Lynton Crosby is a disastrous signing for the Tories - He's been hailed as the "Wizard of Oz", but there are limits to the wizardry of the man who'll be running the Conservative election campaign - 19th November
 * Epic blunder, but we must not let the BBC self-destruct - The Director General has stepped down, but the broadcaster needs yet more radical surgery - 11th November
 * Sensible rebellion on Europe by zealots - Old issues and an unruly right are a toxic mix for the PM - 2nd November
 * How 'Wired' is pointing the way to the future of publishing - Wired’s offering of expert insight goes beyond tired awards ceremony formats based on dinners - 29th October
 * The Tory retreat on climate change is senseless - The growing internal backlash against Cameron's green agenda threatens to torpedo the party's modernisation - 28th October
 * At last! Commissioners will restore public trust in the police by devolving power and are long overdue - Lamentable leadership and the influence of unions have held back the men in uniform for too long. Now you can vote and exert some control over their actions - 24th October
 * Cameron must modernise, not appease the reactionaries - David Cameron needs to remind people who he is – a compassionate and modern conservative - 8th October
 * Is Chris Grayling a liberal in disguise? - For all the froth, fury, and indignant nonsense of our lock 'em up culture, the Coalition's quiet penal reforms are progressive and reassuring - 22nd September
 * A reason to resuscitate - Despite the triumphs of the Paralympics, disabled people are too often allowed to die in hospital - 15th September
 * Our image of Africa is hopelessly obsolete - The huge advances the continent has made in recent years have yet to be acknowledged by the west - 26th August
 * The Lib Dems don't need a new leader. They need a point - Searching for cheap populist policies and silent on issues long held sacred, what do they stand for now? - 24th August
 * The housing crisis: a nightmare caused by our sanctified suburban dreams - Freeing up 1% of the green belt could provide 300,000 homes. Time to lose our myopic nostalgia and send in the bulldozers - 21st August
 * Cameron must now embrace the spirit of the Games - The Olympics should inspire the PM to be bold – and to return to the themes of the Big Society - 13th August
 * It's not just the bad apples – it's our rotten society's attitudes - The assaults at Winterbourne View were horrific. But just as shocking were the systematic failures of one protective authority after another to stop them - 9th August
 * A £13bn boost to the economy? I don't think so Prime Minister - Far from generating growth, big sporting events such as the Olympic Games tend to do the very opposite - 7th July
 * David Cameron's inner Maoist - His assault on benefits was naked politics, but it may well help reawaken the prime minister's reforming zeal - 29th June (writing in The Guardian)
 * Labour's cowardice on immigration is sickening - These clunking steps are even worse from a man who makes such play out of being the child of refugees - 22nd June
 * The Tories are becoming the 'nasty party' on immigration - The Conservatives are boasting of their immigration plan that will split up thousands of families, but only if they're poor - 11th June
 * Our national sport shares our national blindness - In Britain, we pretend the problem of racism has been defeated, despite all evidence to the contrary - 6th June
 * Don't mock 'hug a hoodie'. It was, and still is, the right message - In Britain we feel the need to talk tough on crime when all the evidence suggest that this is the politics of the madhouse - 1st June
 * Geldof's obsession with aid hurt Africa. But now trade is healing the scars - A corrosive culture of aid dependency for 30 years has portrayed Africa as a helpless supplicant - 28th May
 * Like Afghanistan, Mali is a victim of our 'war on terror' - Al-Qa'ida in the Maghreb is increasingly active, while even Nigeria's Islamist Boko Haram is involved - 23rd May
 * Britain's visa system: a V-sign to visitors - Heathrow is a symbol of an immigration system that deters one in four visitors. This torture by visa must end - 15th May
 * Zombies of British Tea Party long to lurch further right - The primary cause of post-Budget problems was the decision to cut the top rate of tax - 7th May
 * A warning shot to the world's despots - No one doubted the depths of depravity during the decade-long civil war in Sierra Leone, which left 50,000 dead, half the population in flight and a nation in ruins. The question was whether the brutality and bloodshed could be legally tied to Charles Taylor, the former Liberian leader - 27th April
 * The end of privacy in British politics - A new age of transparency is coming, thanks to technology, and those who pay lipservice to it must be prepared for scrutiny too - 8th April
 * Accidental coup has undone decades of steady progress in Mali - Two weeks have ripped apart this beautiful country, for two decades such a model democracy - 7th April
 * The 50p tax trap for Conservatives - George Osborne looks set to end the 50p rate. But cutting tax for the richest at a time of hardship is daft politics - 17th March
 * Forget mansions and lower the 40p tax band - Time to stop playing around with taxes on the wealthy - 7th March
 * This grave desecration does not mean Libya is out of control - The outrage must be addressed, but don't give up on an emerging nation because of a handful of bigoted fools - 6th March
 * Elected city mayors will transform political scene - City mayors and police commissioners have the power to re-engage a wearily cynical electorate - 12th February
 * Resist pessimism - keep faith with the Arab Spring - Evening Standard, 3rd January 2012



Articles: 2011

 * Like it or not, the PM has never been stronger. He should exploit it - Since the referendum, the Lib Dems have been a destructive presence, endlessly opposing ideas - The Independent, 13th December
 * The demonisation of the disabled is a chilling sign of the times - There is a climate of hostility towards people for whom life is already difficult and it is being fostered by politicians and journalists - The Guardian, 4th December
 * Big Pharma's demise is nothing to celebrate - The most profitable medicine in history came out of patent in the world's biggest market on Thursday - The Independent, 3rd December
 * We should not fear a Muslim Brotherhood win - Power could be a Pyrrhic victory. The party may be forced to take to - The Independent, 29th November
 * Why the St Paul's rebels without a clue can't simply be ignored - Evening Standard, 18th October
 * Immigrants saved my family and are crucial to Britain - Evening Standard, 11th October
 * Cameron must bring back the sunshine - Cameron must offer a forceful reminder that he is a modern, liberal – and optimistic – Conservative - The Guardian, 4th October
 * A good news story out of Africa brings hope - Zambia's long-standing president stands down after losing an election… a sign that the continent's fortunes might be changing for the better - The Guardian, 25th September
 * Bahrain and Libya expose the two faces of Britain's foreign policy - We bombed Gaddafi, but now we court Bahrain. Is our foreign policy based on ethics, or commerce? - The Guardian, 14th September
 * myopic faith in British police supremacy must end'' - Poor leadership, bungled cases, alleged corruption, death of innocent people – the charge sheet is now too long to ignore - 17th August
 * Trust plans for the Olympic Park would create a proud legacy'' - A visionary post-Games plan for the Olympic Park is being put at risk by fools and jobsworths - The Guardian, 3rd August
 * David Cameron must breathe new life into the Coalition - Evening Standard, 25th July
 * is turning Britain into a cultural backwater'' - Performers from non-European countries are taking Britain off the playlist because border controls are too stringent - The Guardian, 10th July
 * Scapegoat: Why We Are Failing Disabled People by Katharine Quarmby - Evening Standard, 30th June
 * journey's over, Tony Blair'' - Tony Blair supports the Arab spring and wants to heal Africa. Laudable aims but breathtaking hypocrisy - The Guardian, 10th June
 * war on drugs war is lost. Now it's time for a rational response'' - Politicians are too scared to propose legalisation and controlled use, but without radical changes many more lives will be destroyed or ruined - The Guardian, 5th June
 * twitterspat with Paul Kagame'' - The Rwandan president was revelatory in his self-exposure. Shame so few of his own people saw it - The Guardian, 17th May
 * Is the Coalition marriage doomed to end in divorce? - Evening Standard, 3rd May
 * Why Britain must try to stop the slaughter in Syria - Evening Standard, 27th April
 * Proof banks don't have to be run the Gordon Gekko way - Evening Standard, 19th April
 * Coast's Gbagbo must go – and so should other African leaders who overstay'' - With 19 elections due in Africa in the next 18 months, Ivory Coast highlights one of the continent's biggest problems - The Guardian, 4th April
 * despots fear the gales will blow south'' - News of the revolts in Libya and Egypt is being ruthlessly suppressed by nervous dictators - The Times, 11th March
 * our disabled daughter, a way out of the labyrinth'' - Gove promises some relief for the parents of severely disabled children. But others may have reason to worry - The Guardian, 11th March
 * Western aid now does more harm than good - Evening Standard, 1st March
 * Libya we can't let ourselves be scarred by Iraq'' - The international community must get over the foolishness of the 2003 invasion, and take swift action against Gaddafi - The Guardian, 24th February
 * Public v private isn't the issue - what's best is key - Evening Standard, 22nd February
 * deal struck with tyranny'' - The Libyan people are finally rebelling against their despised ruler and his corrupt regime. But Gaddafi's strength in the Arab world was shamefully bolstered by his oil pact with Tony Blair - Daily Telegraph, 21st February
 * time the world listened to new stories out of Africa'' - Trade, not aid, is the best way to sustain the continent's increasing prosperity - The Guardian, 20th February
 * British music can still star as rock finds a new role - Evening Standard, 15th February
 * the dictators to steal'' - Hideous despots like Mubarak rip off their people, and the UK helps them hide their plunder - The Guardian, 14th February
 * NHS is ripe for revolution'' - Our needs have changed; so should our hospitals and doctors - The Guardian, 6th February
 * is not the villain in this tragic case'' - The PM knows that respite for carers is vital, but his Government has dealt insensitively with the disabled - The Times, 21st January
 * Cameron is inviting a Viking invasion'' - Once Scandinavia was a beacon for the Left. But its radical reforms now inspire the coalition - The Times, 19th January
 * detox remains the Tories’ prime task'' - on the party’s relationship with the Lib Dems - Financial Times, 5th January
 * There has never been a better time to be alive - Evening Standard, 4th January



Articles: 2010

 * big gamble puts the citizens at the wheel'' - The coalition government’s Big Society is not only for the middle classes - Financial Times, 29th December
 * brave new world is falling to pieces'' - In the Middle East, in Africa, in the Balkans, the international special envoy is in trouble - The Times, 24th December
 * Can Twitter and the internet start a revolution? - Evening Standard, 7th December
 * Idayah is a bright child. One of a spurned minority - Evening Standard, 2nd December
 * There's a better way to break the cycle of crime - Evening Standard, 23rd November
 * last, a good way to help the homeless'' - A scheme that hands power, and money, to the destitute holds vital lessons for our public services - Daily Telegraph, 15th November
 * you pay to volunteer abroad, think of the harm you might do'' - A damning report says that well-intentioned westerners do little to alleviate the lot of poverty-stricken children in developing countries - The Guardian, 14th November
 * A cap on migrant workers will hurt London’s economy - Evening Standard, 2nd November
 * sales plummet but the music plays on'' - The EMI saga points to desperation, but the industry’s survival strategy is worth noting - The Times, 22nd October
 * East London may be the birthplace of a new Facebook - Evening Standard, 19th October
 * whirlwind of hatred against the disabled'' - Just how far are we, as a society, prepared to let violent crime against the disabled spiral upwards? - The Guardian, 16th October
 * kindest cuts of all'' - My daughter's case shows the need to change the culture of public service. This is not about money - The Guardian, 1st October
 * Dems need to stake out their own territory'' - Third party is failing to offer sufficient counterweight to the right - Financial Times, 24th August
 * open our doors to Haitians'' - 'Disaster asylum' would do far more than pouring in vast amounts of aid - The Independent, 28th January
 * disaster and a shocking reality'' - Around the world, presidents and prime ministers mouth platitudes about sharing the pain of Haiti. But they should consider a simple question: how come only 63 people died when an earthquake of the same strength hit northern California 21 years ago? - The Independent, 16th January
 * is counter-productive to humiliate another nation'' - Sitting amid the trawlers in Reykjavik harbour is a solitary gunboat, a reminder of what happened when Britain and Iceland last went to war - The Independent, 7th January
 * economist who got it right'' - It is astonishing how much Pigou's ideas impact on our lives and debates today - The Independent, 6th January



Articles: 2009

 * dark shadows that stain the new darling of Africa'' - The reality is that behind a veneer of democracy lies a ruthless autocracy - The Independent, 27th November
 * is patients who will end up losing out'' - Nursing is a practical profession. It is not something that can be taught in universities - The Independent, 13th November
 * your language: words can cause terrible damage'' - When did people with disabilities cease to matter in the battle against bigotry? - The Independent, 6th November
 * This award is premature – and potentially very foolish - When Henry Kissinger was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1973, the American humourist Tom Lehrer declared that political satire was dead - The Independent, 10th October
 * are repressive regimes given the succour of British aid?'' - A mission to eliminate poverty is laudable. But ours is riddled with contradictions - The Independent, 17th September
 * These poor unfortunates are pawns in a game of power politics - Michael was sitting in the shade of a building site with about 20 fellow Nigerians, watching life go by in a bustling town on the edge of the Sahara... - The Independent, 1st April
 * Iona and Ivan – a tale of two children and two families - The deputy editor of The Independent, whose daughter is profoundly disabled, offers a unique insight into the difficulties facing both his own family and the Camerons - The Independent, 26th February



News & updates:

 * Ian Birrell joins David Cameron's office as speechwriter, Conservativehome website, 29th March 2010



References:


Links:

 * Spectator.co.uk articles