Michael Crick, Author at The Spectator

Tuesday

25 August 2020

The BBC has lost touch with real diversity

The BBC has announced plans to invest £100 million pounds in 'diversity' for its television output. Bravo. I’m a great believer in diversity. A thriving, vibrant democracy needs as much diversity as possible in public discourse – a plurality of voices, of outlook and of background. But I suspect that the BBC is thinking of 'diversity' in only the narrow, fashionable sense of today – in gender, race and sexuality, but little else. Of course, BBC TV output should reflect society in these respects. It’s made huge progress, for example in its news bulletins where the gender and ethnic background of presenters and reporters roughly seems to reflect the proportions of ethnic minorities in the wider population.

Thursday

19 September 2013

Michael Crick

I exposed the ‘Plebgate’ stitch-up last year. So why are the police still investigating?

Andrew Mitchell actually had big doubts about becoming chief whip. True, he had often spoken to friends of being ‘a whip at heart’, and how he’d loved the army-like camaraderie, discipline and intrigue of serving in the whips’ team under John Major. But his regular trips overseas as Secretary of State for International Development meant he didn’t know many of the Tory MPs elected in 2010. And he so enjoyed being Development Secretary, too, and making a visible impact in one of the few ministries not afflicted by cuts. But Mitchell’s appointment as chief whip this time last year suddenly thrust him from the margins of Westminster to the heart of government, advising Cameron on other promotions.

Saturday

12 November 2005

Michael Crick

A billionaire at bay

In the late 1990s it began to look as if the media were gunning for millionaire Tories in alphabetical order. First Jonathan Aitken, a joint target of Granada and the Guardian. Then Jeffrey Archer, jailed after a sting operation by the News of the World. Next in line seemed to be the mysterious Michael Ashcroft, appointed Conservative party treasurer by William Hague, donor of many millions to the party, and victim of the strange, new alliance between New Labour and the Times. In 1999 Hague tried to nominate Ashcroft as a ‘working’ member of the House of Lords, only for the nomination initially to be blocked by Tony Blair on the recommendation of the Honours Scrutiny Committee.

Saturday

21 September 2002

Michael Crick

Football’s Alastair Campbell

Michael Crick says that Manchester United's Sir Alex Ferguson is not a crook, but he is a liar and a bully If he'd dithered for another day or two last winter, then Sir Alex would now be relaxing somewhere off the Azores or Madagascar, starting his retirement with the world cruise he's always promised Cathy, his long-suffering wife. Last February, Manchester United were within hours of signing a contract with the England manager Sven-Goran Eriksson to succeed Ferguson, who planned to retire in May. The plan was that Eriksson should take over at Old Trafford after this summer's World Cup. Then, suddenly, as lawyers perfected Eriksson's contract, Fergie changed his mind. He couldn't give up the football drug, and asked to stay another three years.