Jesse Norman

Telegraph op-ed: Edmund Burke--the great conservative who foresaw the discontents of our era

Lord Randolph Churchill, father of Winston, once summarized Disraeli’s life as “Failure, failure, failure, partial success, renewed failure, ultimate and complete triumph.” The same might be said of the great 18^th Century philosopher-statesman Edmund Burke.  Despite a chequered career, 250 years later it is Burke who offers the deepest critique of politics today, and the greatest hope for its future.

Letter to the Guardian: Eton and education

Over the last week the Guardian and the Observer have both given coverage to my alleged views about Eton and public service.  Unfortunately, in both articles I was badly quoted out of context.  At no point was any attempt made to contact me to establish what I actually thought.

In fact I was not denigrating any school at all, state or private.  Indeed, I have spent large parts of my life working in or around education.  

ConHome op-ed: Adam Smith's great insight. Compassion isn't pity. It's fellow feeling.

Where did the idea of compassionate conservatism come from?  According to many on the left, the answer is former US President George W. Bush. 

Bush certainly branded his first administration with the same label, especially before 9/11.  But this was a serious misnomer, for in fact his approach had the twin drawbacks of being neither compassionate nor conservative.  It was not compassionate:  indeed, its main promoter John DiIulio fell foul of his colleagues in the White House in 2001 by insisting that money be directed to black and Latino churches, infuriating white Evangelicals.  And it was not conservative, as was shown by the extension of federal influence into local schools through the No Child Left Behind Act of 2002, and the extraordinary ramp up in federal spending that took place even before the financial crash of 2008.  

OUT NOW Edmund Burke: Philosopher, Politician, Prophet

 

“A must-read for anyone interested in politics or history... superb.”
Matthew D'Ancona

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