It is now an archive for my newspaper and magazine pieces. My blog can now be read at: www.spectator.co.uk/stephenpollard
Politics, economics and culture from the master. Unmissable.
Melanie Phillips home page
Melanie Phillips' peerless blog. Read, and learn.
Daniel Finkelstein's Times Comment Central
A daily must-read.
Tim Worstall
Lots of interesting nibbles - and a ruthless swatter of economic gibberish.
Harry's Place
Must-read left of centre blog from writers who understand the threat to the West.
Clive Davis
Always interesting selection of culture and politics, from an Anglo-American bent.
Samizdata
Libertarian blog, packed every day.
Norm's blog
The thoroughly sensible thoughts of renowned left-wing academic Norman Geras, Professor of Government at Manchester. And cricket, too.
Public Interest
Peter Briffa's inimitable take on The Yazzmonster and other assorted demons.
Reform
The public sector reform group; their website is an invaluable source of data and ideas.
Centre for the New Europe
The leading European public policy think tank.
Developed by:
| August | 10 |
| 2006 |
Th headline on Tim Worstall's post says pretty much all that needs to be said:
Neal Lawson: Idiot
My eyes were slightly glazed when I first read this and I thought it said 'Nigel Lawson: Idiot'. Hmmm, I thought, it'll be a stretch for him to prove that about possibly the most intelligent Cabinet minister of the past 30 years.
Which prompts a thought: who do you think is the most intelligent Cabinet minister of that period? Not 'who do you most agree with?' but who was (is?) simply the most intellectually gifted?
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Enoch Powell. Although he’s rather out of the 30 year limit. Don’t agree with a lot of his ideas but there’s no doubt that he was frighteningly intelligent.
Keith Joseph perhaps? Or, as you say, Lawson.
If in any doubt about Mr. Pollard's claim try reading a couple of chapters (any two chapters) of Lawson's The View From No. 11.
Denis Healey. Like Lawson he was far too clever to be a sensible Chancellor of the Exchequer, but he was a pretty wise old bird in other respects. And he had numerous interests outside politics.
He'll be 89 on 30th August, and, judging from a recent interview on News 24, he's going strong.
Raw intellect? I'd agree with Tim and say probably Keith Joseph. He was one of the few internal architects of Thatcherism, with most of the rest being external influences like Hayek and Friedman. Nick Ridley was far from stupid, too.