Daniel Finkelstein: Difference between revisions
No edit summary |
Robby.is.on (talk | contribs) m Fix MOS:OVERLINKing. |
||
(39 intermediate revisions by 22 users not shown) | |||
Line 1: | Line 1: | ||
{{short description|British journalist and politician}} |
{{short description|British journalist and politician}} |
||
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2020}} |
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2020}} |
||
{{update|date=March 2021}} |
|||
{{Infobox person |
{{Infobox person |
||
| honorific_prefix = [[The Right Honourable]] |
| honorific_prefix = [[The Right Honourable]] |
||
Line 29: | Line 28: | ||
*[[Social Democratic Party (UK)|SDP]] (1981–88) |
*[[Social Democratic Party (UK)|SDP]] (1981–88) |
||
*[[Social Democratic Party (UK, 1988)|'Continuing' SDP]] (1988–90) |
*[[Social Democratic Party (UK, 1988)|'Continuing' SDP]] (1988–90) |
||
*[[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative]] ( |
*[[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative]] (1992–present)}} |
||
| parents = {{plainlist| |
| parents = {{plainlist| |
||
*Ludwik Finkelstein (father) |
*Ludwik Finkelstein (father) |
||
Line 39: | Line 38: | ||
}} |
}} |
||
'''Daniel William Finkelstein, Baron Finkelstein''', {{postnominals|country=GBR|size=100%|OBE}} (born 30 August 1962) is a British [[ |
'''Daniel William Finkelstein, Baron Finkelstein''', {{postnominals|country=GBR|size=100%|OBE}} (born 30 August 1962) is a British journalist, author, [[political consulting|political advisor]] and politician.<ref name="Obsrvr"/> He is a former [[executive editor]] of ''[[The Times]],'' where he remains a weekly political columnist, and has been a regular columnist at ''[[The Jewish Chronicle]]'' since 2010.<ref>[http://www.thejc.com/news/uk-news/122423/jc-power-100-numbers-50-11 "JC Power 100: Numbers 50 – 11"], ''The Jewish Chronicle''. London. 10 September 2014. {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140912202126/http://www.thejc.com/news/uk-news/122423/jc-power-100-numbers-50-11 |date=2014-09-12}} </ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Daniel Finkelstein - The Jewish Chronicle |url=https://www.thejc.com/author/daniel-finkelstein-con293f2 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240329062008/https://www.thejc.com/author/daniel-finkelstein-con293f2 |archive-date=2024-03-29 |access-date=2024-06-12 |website=[[The Jewish Chronicle]]}}</ref> Finkelstein was formerly an advisor to Prime Minister [[John Major]] and leader of the [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative Party]] [[William Hague]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Lord Finkelstein OBE - Onward |url=https://www.ukonward.com/people/lord-finkelstein-obe/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240225082808/https://www.ukonward.com/people/lord-finkelstein-obe/ |archive-date=2024-02-25 |access-date=2024-06-12 |website=[[Onward (think tank)|Onward]] |language=en-GB}}</ref> Since 2013 he has sat as a Conservative Peer of the [[House of Lords]]. |
||
He is a former chairman of [[Policy Exchange]] who was succeeded by [[David Frum]] in 2014.<ref>{{cite press release |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20141018033539/http://www.policyexchange.org.uk/media-centre/press-releases/category/item/policy-exchange-appoints-david-frum-as-new-chairman |title=Policy Exchange appoints David Frum as new chairman |publisher=Policy Exchange |date=19 September 2014 |archive-date=18 October 2014 |url= http://www.policyexchange.org.uk/media-centre/press-releases/category/item/policy-exchange-appoints-david-frum-as-new-chairman |url-status=dead}},</ref> He is Chairman of the [[Centre-right politics|centre-right]] public policy [[think tank]] [[Onward (think tank)|Onward]] and was a Founding Director of the [[Social Market Foundation]]. He is also a Vice President of the [[Jewish Leadership Council]] and one of the co-hosts of the weekly podcast ''[[How To Win An Election]]'' from ''[[The Times]],'' presented by [[Matt Chorley]] and alongside [[Peter Mandelson]] and [[Polly Mackenzie]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=20 October 2023 |title=The Times signs big political names for How To Win An Election podcast |url=https://podcastingtoday.co.uk/the-times-signs-big-political-names-for-how-to-win-an-election-podcast/ |access-date=17 April 2024 |website=Podcasting Today}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Council & Vice Presidents - The Jewish Leadership Council |url=https://www.thejlc.org/council-vice-presidents |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240515140517/https://www.thejlc.org/council-vice-presidents |archive-date=2024-05-15 |access-date=2024-06-12 |website=[[Jewish Leadership Council]]}}</ref> |
|||
In 2023 he published his first book, a memoir titled ''[[Hitler, Stalin, Mum and Dad]],'' describing the persecution of his Jewish parents in the [[World War II|Second World War]], how his mother survived [[Adolf Hitler|Hitler]]'s [[Extermination camp|death camps]] and his father endured slave labour and starvation in Stalin's [[Gulag|Siberian Gulag]]. |
|||
==Background== |
==Background== |
||
Finkelstein is [[Jewish]]; his mother, [[Mirjam Finkelstein]], was a [[ |
Finkelstein is [[Jewish]];<ref name="Obsrvr">{{cite news |last1=Silva |first1=Rohan |date=2024-06-04 |title=Hitler, Stalin, Mum and Dad by Daniel Finkelstein review – a family in peril |url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2023/jun/04/hitler-stalin-mum-and-dad-by-daniel-finkelstein-review-a-family-in-peril |access-date=2023-06-04 |work=[[The Observer]] |location=London}}</ref> his mother, [[Mirjam Finkelstein]], was a [[Holocaust survivors|Holocaust survivor]] of the [[Bergen-Belsen concentration camp]],<ref name="TJC300117">{{cite news |date=2017-01-30 |title=Mirjam Finkelstein, Holocaust educator, friend of Anne Frank and survivor of Bergen-Belsen, dies aged 83 |url=https://www.thejc.com/news/uk-news/mirjam-finkelstein-holocaust-educator-and-survivor-of-bergen-belsen-dies-aged-83-1.431514 |access-date=2017-01-30 |work=[[The Jewish Chronicle]]}}</ref> while his father [[Ludwik Finkelstein]] [[OBE]] was born in [[Lwów]] (then in [[Poland]] but now in [[Ukraine]]), and became Professor of Measurement and Instrumentation at [[City University London]].<ref>{{cite press release |title=Obituary – Professor Ludwik Finkelstein OBE FREng |url= http://www.city.ac.uk/news/2011/sep/obituary-professor-ludwik-finkelstein-obe-freng |publisher=[[City University London]] |date=6 September 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url= http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/opinion/obituaries/article3151720.ece |title=Professor Ludwik Finkelstein |work=The Times |location= London |date=2 September 2011 |access-date=29 March 2016}} {{subscription required}}</ref> He is a grandson, via his mother, of Dr [[Alfred Wiener]], the Jewish activist and founder of the [[Wiener Library]].<ref name="TJC300117"/> He is the brother of Professor Sir [[Anthony Finkelstein]] CBE FREng, President of [[City, University of London]] and of [[Tamara Finkelstein]], Permanent Secretary at the [[Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.gov.uk/government/people/tamara-finkelstein |title=Tamara Finkelstein |publisher=Government of the United Kingdom |access-date=20 October 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231020101908/https://www.gov.uk/government/people/tamara-finkelstein|archive-date=20 October 2023}}</ref> |
||
Finkelstein is a director of [[Chelsea F.C.]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=CHELSEA FOOTBALL CLUB LIMITED people - Find and update company information - GOV.UK |url=https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/01965149/officers |access-date=2023-09-16 |website=find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk |language=en}}</ref> |
|||
He was educated at [[University College School]], the [[London School of Economics]] ([[BSc]], 1984) and [[City University London]] ([[MSc]], 1986).<ref>'FINKELSTEIN', Who's Who 2014, A & C Black, an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing plc, 2014; online edn, Oxford University Press, 2013</ref> |
He was educated at [[University College School]], the [[London School of Economics]] ([[BSc]], 1984) and [[City University London]] ([[MSc]], 1986).<ref>'FINKELSTEIN', Who's Who 2014, A & C Black, an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing plc, 2014; online edn, Oxford University Press, 2013</ref> |
||
Line 48: | Line 53: | ||
==Political career== |
==Political career== |
||
===SDP=== |
===SDP=== |
||
Between 1981 and 1988, Finkelstein was a member of the [[Social Democratic Party (UK)]], becoming Chair of the Young Social Democrats on the defection of his predecessor [[Keith Toussaint]] to the Conservative Party during the 1983 general election campaign.<ref>''The Times Guide to the House of Commons 1987''</ref> Subsequently he was elected youth representative on its National Committee and selected as a [[Prospective parliamentary candidate|parliamentary candidate]] for [[Brent East (UK Parliament constituency)|Brent East]] at the [[1987 United Kingdom general election|1987 general election]]. At around this time, Finkelstein became a close ally and adviser to [[David Owen]], the SDP leader. When the merger with the [[Liberal Party (UK)|Liberal Party]] was proposed, Finkelstein was among the leading opponents and refused to join the merged party, instead following Owen into the [[Social Democratic Party (UK, 1988)|'continuing' SDP]]. After Owen had announced his resignation from politics in 1992, Finkelstein was the spokesman for a group of young SDP members who joined the Conservatives. |
Between 1981 and 1988, Finkelstein was a member of the [[Social Democratic Party (UK)|Social Democratic Party]] (SDP), becoming Chair of the Young Social Democrats on the defection of his predecessor [[Keith Toussaint]] to the Conservative Party during the 1983 general election campaign.<ref>''The Times Guide to the House of Commons 1987''</ref> Subsequently, he was elected youth representative on its National Committee and selected as a [[Prospective parliamentary candidate|parliamentary candidate]] for [[Brent East (UK Parliament constituency)|Brent East]] at the [[1987 United Kingdom general election|1987 general election]]. At around this time, Finkelstein became a close ally and adviser to [[David Owen]], the SDP leader. When the merger with the [[Liberal Party (UK)|Liberal Party]] was proposed, Finkelstein was among the leading opponents and refused to join the merged party, instead following Owen into the [[Social Democratic Party (UK, 1988)|'continuing' SDP]]. After Owen had announced his resignation from politics in 1992, Finkelstein was the spokesman for a group of young SDP members who joined the Conservatives. |
||
===Think tanks=== |
===Think tanks=== |
||
Line 56: | Line 61: | ||
https://web.archive.org/web/20170409113704/https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/about/ |access-date=17 March 2021 |archive-date=9 April 2017}}</ref> a far-right [[think-tank]] known for publishing anti-Muslim articles.<ref>{{Cite news |url= https://www.npr.org/2018/04/06/599856473/trump-and-muslims-a-warming-abroad-a-cooling-at-home |title=Trump's National Security And State Department Picks Alarm American Muslims |last=Gjelten |first=Tom |date=6 April 2018 |website=National Public Radio |location= Washington DC}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |url= https://www.politico.eu/article/fake-news-germany-elections-facebook-mark-zuckerberg-correctiv/ |title=Germany's anti-fake news lab yields mixed results |last=Cerulus |first=Laurens |date=17 July 2017 |website=Politico.eu}}</ref> In a series of tweets in 2018, Finkelstein explained that he "didn't initially accept the critics' characterisation of (Gatestone)", that he thought they'd done "valuable" work, but that he eventually withdrew from the position due to 'the volume' of Gatestone publications he disagreed with. He acknowledged that his failure to do so earlier was "worthy of criticism".<ref>{{cite web |title= Gatestone Tweet thread |url= https://twitter.com/Dannythefink/status/1029680947862687744 |date=15 August 2018 |website=Twitter |author=@Dannythefink |access-date=19 March 2021}}</ref> |
https://web.archive.org/web/20170409113704/https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/about/ |access-date=17 March 2021 |archive-date=9 April 2017}}</ref> a far-right [[think-tank]] known for publishing anti-Muslim articles.<ref>{{Cite news |url= https://www.npr.org/2018/04/06/599856473/trump-and-muslims-a-warming-abroad-a-cooling-at-home |title=Trump's National Security And State Department Picks Alarm American Muslims |last=Gjelten |first=Tom |date=6 April 2018 |website=National Public Radio |location= Washington DC}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |url= https://www.politico.eu/article/fake-news-germany-elections-facebook-mark-zuckerberg-correctiv/ |title=Germany's anti-fake news lab yields mixed results |last=Cerulus |first=Laurens |date=17 July 2017 |website=Politico.eu}}</ref> In a series of tweets in 2018, Finkelstein explained that he "didn't initially accept the critics' characterisation of (Gatestone)", that he thought they'd done "valuable" work, but that he eventually withdrew from the position due to 'the volume' of Gatestone publications he disagreed with. He acknowledged that his failure to do so earlier was "worthy of criticism".<ref>{{cite web |title= Gatestone Tweet thread |url= https://twitter.com/Dannythefink/status/1029680947862687744 |date=15 August 2018 |website=Twitter |author=@Dannythefink |access-date=19 March 2021}}</ref> |
||
In 2018 he became chairman of the new think-tank [[Onward (think tank)|Onward]], whose mission is to renew the centre right for the next generation.<ref>{{cite news |url= https://www.newstatesman.com/politics/uk/2018/05/onward-tory-think-tank-mission-remake-conservatism |title=Onward, the think tank on a mission to remake conservatism |work=New Statesman |location= London |date=18 May 2018 |first=George |last=Eaton |access-date=27 August 2019}}</ref> |
In 2018, he became chairman of the new think-tank [[Onward (think tank)|Onward]], whose mission is to renew the centre right for the next generation.<ref>{{cite news |url= https://www.newstatesman.com/politics/uk/2018/05/onward-tory-think-tank-mission-remake-conservatism |title=Onward, the think tank on a mission to remake conservatism |work=New Statesman |location= London |date=18 May 2018 |first=George |last=Eaton |access-date=27 August 2019}}</ref> |
||
=== Conservative Party === |
=== Conservative Party === |
||
Between 1995 and 1997 Finkelstein was Director of the [[Conservative Research Department]] and in that capacity advised Prime Minister [[John Major]] and attended meetings of the [[Cabinet of the United Kingdom|Cabinet]] when it sat in political session. Finkelstein became among the earliest advocates of the 'modernisation' of the Conservative Party, laying out the principles of change in a series of speeches and columns in ''[[The Times]]''. |
Between 1995 and 1997, Finkelstein was Director of the [[Conservative Research Department]] and in that capacity advised Prime Minister [[John Major]] and attended meetings of the [[Cabinet of the United Kingdom|Cabinet]] when it sat in political session. Finkelstein became among the earliest advocates of the 'modernisation' of the Conservative Party, laying out the principles of change in a series of speeches and columns in ''[[The Times]]''. |
||
Between 1997 and 2001 he was [[political adviser]] to the [[Leader of the Opposition (United Kingdom)|Leader of the Opposition]] [[William Hague]] and, together with [[George Osborne]], Secretary to the [[Shadow Cabinet]]. |
Between 1997 and 2001, he was [[political adviser]] to the [[Leader of the Opposition (United Kingdom)|Leader of the Opposition]] [[William Hague]] and, together with [[George Osborne]], Secretary to the [[Shadow Cabinet]]. |
||
In the [[2001 United Kingdom general election|2001 election]] Finkelstein was the unsuccessful Conservative parliamentary candidate in [[Harrow West (UK Parliament constituency)|Harrow West]].<ref>{{cite news |url= http://www.jewishtelegraph.com/prof_150.html |newspaper= Jewish Telegraph |location= Manchester |date=2012 |title= Shoah memories spur writer Daniel to seek truth and courage |first=Alex |last=Zatman}}</ref> |
In the [[2001 United Kingdom general election|2001 election]], Finkelstein was the unsuccessful Conservative parliamentary candidate in [[Harrow West (UK Parliament constituency)|Harrow West]].<ref>{{cite news |url= http://www.jewishtelegraph.com/prof_150.html |newspaper= Jewish Telegraph |location= Manchester |date=2012 |title= Shoah memories spur writer Daniel to seek truth and courage |first=Alex |last=Zatman}}</ref> |
||
==Journalism== |
==Journalism== |
||
{{ |
{{BLP sources section|date=March 2021}} |
||
[[File:Rt Hon Francis Maude MP and Lord Finkelstein.jpg|thumb|right|Finkelstein (right) with [[Francis Maude]], at a [[Policy Exchange]] event in 2013]] |
[[File:Rt Hon Francis Maude MP and Lord Finkelstein.jpg|thumb|right|Finkelstein (right) with [[Francis Maude]], at a [[Policy Exchange]] event in 2013]] |
||
Between 1990 and 1992, Finkelstein was the editor of ''Connexion'', Britain's first Internet and data communications newspaper. Finkelstein joined ''The Times'' in August 2001 as part of the leader writing team and was Comment Editor from March 2004 to June 2008. He became Chief Leader Writer in June 2008. He began ''The Times'' [[blog]] Comment Central in September 2006. He is also a regular columnist in ''[[The Jewish Chronicle]]''. His weekly football statistics column, the Fink Tank, began in 2002 and runs in ''The Times'' on Saturdays. |
Between 1990 and 1992, Finkelstein was the editor of ''Connexion'', Britain's first Internet and data communications newspaper. Finkelstein joined ''The Times'' in August 2001 as part of the leader writing team and was Comment Editor from March 2004 to June 2008. He became Chief Leader Writer in June 2008. He began ''The Times'' [[blog]] Comment Central in September 2006. He is also a regular columnist in ''[[The Jewish Chronicle]]''. His weekly football statistics column, the Fink Tank, began in 2002 and runs in ''The Times'' on Saturdays. |
||
In June 2023, Finkelstein published a memoir, ''[[Hitler, Stalin, Mum and Dad|Hitler, Stalin, Mum and Dad: A Family Memoir of Miraculous Survival]]'' (published as ''Two Roads Home: Hitler, Stalin, and the Miraculous Survival of My Family'' in the United States), an account of his mother and father's experiences during World War II.<ref name=Freedman>{{cite news |last=Freedman |first=Sam |url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2023/jun/28/hitler-stalin-mum-and-dad-by-daniel-finkelstein-review-escape-from-tyranny |title=Hitler, Stalin, Mum and Dad by Daniel Finkelstein review – escape from tyranny |newspaper=[[The Guardian]] |issn=1756-3224 |date=28 June 2023 |access-date=13 April 2024}}</ref><ref name=Cole>{{cite news |last=Cole |first=Diane |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/books/2023/10/05/daniel-finkelstein-nazi-germany-memoir/ |title=His family survived WWII’s horrors, and he’s alive to tell the tale |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |issn=0190-8286 |date=5 October 2023 |access-date=13 April 2024}}</ref> It was shortlisted for the 2024 [[Orwell Prize|Orwell Prize for Political Writing]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-06-11 |title=Orwell Prizes 2024 shortlists announced |url=https://www.booksandpublishing.com.au/articles/2024/06/11/253173/orwell-prizes-2024-shortlists-announced/ |access-date=2024-06-24 |publisher=Books+Publishing}}</ref> |
|||
==Honours and awards== |
==Honours and awards== |
||
Finkelstein was awarded the [[OBE]] in the 1997 [[Orders, decorations, and medals of the United Kingdom|honours list]].<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=54850 |date=2 August 1997 |page=8912 |supp=y}}</ref> |
Finkelstein was awarded the [[OBE]] in the 1997 [[Orders, decorations, and medals of the United Kingdom|honours list]].<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=54850 |date=2 August 1997 |page=8912 |supp=y}}</ref> |
||
In 2011 he was awarded the "[[Political Studies Association|PSA]] 2011 Journalist of the Year Award".<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.psa.ac.uk/PSAAwards_details.aspx?ID=9 |title= Political Studies Association Website |url-status=dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20120529183026/http://www.psa.ac.uk/PSAAwards_details.aspx?ID=9 |archive-date=29 May 2012 }}</ref> |
In 2011, he was awarded the "[[Political Studies Association|PSA]] 2011 Journalist of the Year Award".<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.psa.ac.uk/PSAAwards_details.aspx?ID=9 |title= Political Studies Association Website |url-status=dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20120529183026/http://www.psa.ac.uk/PSAAwards_details.aspx?ID=9 |archive-date=29 May 2012 }}</ref> |
||
It was announced at the beginning of August 2013 that Finkelstein was to be made a [[life peer]].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Blackburn |first=David |date=2013-08-01 |title=New working peers announced |url=http://blogs.spectator.co.uk/coffeehouse/2013/08/new-working-peers-announced/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130803062332/http://blogs.spectator.co.uk/coffeehouse/2013/08/new-working-peers-announced/ |archive-date=2013-08-03 |access-date=2024-06-12 |work=[[The Spectator]]}}</ref> He was created '''Baron Finkelstein''' of [[Pinner]] in the [[London Borough of Harrow]] on 11 September 2013.<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=60627 |date=13 September 2013 |page=18117}}</ref> |
|||
⚫ | Finkelstein was given an [[Honorary degree|honorary]] Doctor of Science degree by [[City University London]] in 2011.<ref>{{cite web |title=Lord Finkelstein, OBE |url=https://www.city.ac.uk/people/honorary-graduates/daniel-finkelstein |publisher= City University London |access-date=9 June 2019}}</ref> |
||
He is a Vice President of the [[Jewish Leadership Council]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.thejlc.org/louise_ellman_mp |title=Dame Louise Ellman MP |access-date=17 July 2019 |work=Jewish Leadership Council |archive-date=17 July 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190717203713/https://www.thejlc.org/louise_ellman_mp |url-status=dead }}</ref> |
|||
⚫ | Finkelstein was given an [[Honorary degree|honorary]] Doctor of Science degree by [[City University London]] in 2011.<ref>{{cite web |title=Lord Finkelstein, OBE |url=https://www.city.ac.uk/people/honorary-graduates/daniel-finkelstein |publisher= City University London |access-date=9 June 2019}}</ref> |
||
==References== |
==References== |
||
{{Reflist|30em}} |
{{Reflist|30em}} |
||
==External links== |
==External links== |
||
{{Commons category}} |
|||
*[http://www.journalisted.com/daniel-finkelstein Articles by Daniel Finkelstein] Journalisted |
*[http://www.journalisted.com/daniel-finkelstein Articles by Daniel Finkelstein] Journalisted |
||
*[http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/opinion/columnists/danielfinkelstein/ Opinion – Daniel Finkelstein] Times Online |
*[http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/opinion/columnists/danielfinkelstein/ Opinion – Daniel Finkelstein] Times Online |
Latest revision as of 08:39, 6 December 2024
The Lord Finkelstein | |
---|---|
Born | Daniel William Finkelstein 30 August 1962 |
Nationality | British |
Education | University College School |
Alma mater | |
Occupations |
|
Political party |
|
Parents |
|
Relatives |
|
Daniel William Finkelstein, Baron Finkelstein, OBE (born 30 August 1962) is a British journalist, author, political advisor and politician.[1] He is a former executive editor of The Times, where he remains a weekly political columnist, and has been a regular columnist at The Jewish Chronicle since 2010.[2][3] Finkelstein was formerly an advisor to Prime Minister John Major and leader of the Conservative Party William Hague.[4] Since 2013 he has sat as a Conservative Peer of the House of Lords.
He is a former chairman of Policy Exchange who was succeeded by David Frum in 2014.[5] He is Chairman of the centre-right public policy think tank Onward and was a Founding Director of the Social Market Foundation. He is also a Vice President of the Jewish Leadership Council and one of the co-hosts of the weekly podcast How To Win An Election from The Times, presented by Matt Chorley and alongside Peter Mandelson and Polly Mackenzie.[6][7]
In 2023 he published his first book, a memoir titled Hitler, Stalin, Mum and Dad, describing the persecution of his Jewish parents in the Second World War, how his mother survived Hitler's death camps and his father endured slave labour and starvation in Stalin's Siberian Gulag.
Background
[edit]Finkelstein is Jewish;[1] his mother, Mirjam Finkelstein, was a Holocaust survivor of the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp,[8] while his father Ludwik Finkelstein OBE was born in Lwów (then in Poland but now in Ukraine), and became Professor of Measurement and Instrumentation at City University London.[9][10] He is a grandson, via his mother, of Dr Alfred Wiener, the Jewish activist and founder of the Wiener Library.[8] He is the brother of Professor Sir Anthony Finkelstein CBE FREng, President of City, University of London and of Tamara Finkelstein, Permanent Secretary at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.[11]
Finkelstein is a director of Chelsea F.C..[12]
He was educated at University College School, the London School of Economics (BSc, 1984) and City University London (MSc, 1986).[13]
Political career
[edit]SDP
[edit]Between 1981 and 1988, Finkelstein was a member of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), becoming Chair of the Young Social Democrats on the defection of his predecessor Keith Toussaint to the Conservative Party during the 1983 general election campaign.[14] Subsequently, he was elected youth representative on its National Committee and selected as a parliamentary candidate for Brent East at the 1987 general election. At around this time, Finkelstein became a close ally and adviser to David Owen, the SDP leader. When the merger with the Liberal Party was proposed, Finkelstein was among the leading opponents and refused to join the merged party, instead following Owen into the 'continuing' SDP. After Owen had announced his resignation from politics in 1992, Finkelstein was the spokesman for a group of young SDP members who joined the Conservatives.
Think tanks
[edit]Before working for the Conservative Party, Finkelstein was Director of a think-tank, the Social Market Foundation, for three years. During his period with the SMF, the organisation brought New York police commissioner Bill Bratton to London, for the first time introducing UK politicians to the new strategies being used there.
Finkelstein formerly sat on the Board of Governors of the Gatestone Institute,[15][16] a far-right think-tank known for publishing anti-Muslim articles.[17][18] In a series of tweets in 2018, Finkelstein explained that he "didn't initially accept the critics' characterisation of (Gatestone)", that he thought they'd done "valuable" work, but that he eventually withdrew from the position due to 'the volume' of Gatestone publications he disagreed with. He acknowledged that his failure to do so earlier was "worthy of criticism".[19]
In 2018, he became chairman of the new think-tank Onward, whose mission is to renew the centre right for the next generation.[20]
Conservative Party
[edit]Between 1995 and 1997, Finkelstein was Director of the Conservative Research Department and in that capacity advised Prime Minister John Major and attended meetings of the Cabinet when it sat in political session. Finkelstein became among the earliest advocates of the 'modernisation' of the Conservative Party, laying out the principles of change in a series of speeches and columns in The Times.
Between 1997 and 2001, he was political adviser to the Leader of the Opposition William Hague and, together with George Osborne, Secretary to the Shadow Cabinet.
In the 2001 election, Finkelstein was the unsuccessful Conservative parliamentary candidate in Harrow West.[21]
Journalism
[edit]This section of a biography of a living person needs additional citations for verification. (March 2021) |
Between 1990 and 1992, Finkelstein was the editor of Connexion, Britain's first Internet and data communications newspaper. Finkelstein joined The Times in August 2001 as part of the leader writing team and was Comment Editor from March 2004 to June 2008. He became Chief Leader Writer in June 2008. He began The Times blog Comment Central in September 2006. He is also a regular columnist in The Jewish Chronicle. His weekly football statistics column, the Fink Tank, began in 2002 and runs in The Times on Saturdays.
In June 2023, Finkelstein published a memoir, Hitler, Stalin, Mum and Dad: A Family Memoir of Miraculous Survival (published as Two Roads Home: Hitler, Stalin, and the Miraculous Survival of My Family in the United States), an account of his mother and father's experiences during World War II.[22][23] It was shortlisted for the 2024 Orwell Prize for Political Writing.[24]
Honours and awards
[edit]Finkelstein was awarded the OBE in the 1997 honours list.[25] In 2011, he was awarded the "PSA 2011 Journalist of the Year Award".[26]
It was announced at the beginning of August 2013 that Finkelstein was to be made a life peer.[27] He was created Baron Finkelstein of Pinner in the London Borough of Harrow on 11 September 2013.[28]
Finkelstein was given an honorary Doctor of Science degree by City University London in 2011.[29]
References
[edit]- ^ a b Silva, Rohan (4 June 2024). "Hitler, Stalin, Mum and Dad by Daniel Finkelstein review – a family in peril". The Observer. London. Retrieved 4 June 2023.
- ^ "JC Power 100: Numbers 50 – 11", The Jewish Chronicle. London. 10 September 2014. Archived 2014-09-12 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Daniel Finkelstein - The Jewish Chronicle". The Jewish Chronicle. Archived from the original on 29 March 2024. Retrieved 12 June 2024.
- ^ "Lord Finkelstein OBE - Onward". Onward. Archived from the original on 25 February 2024. Retrieved 12 June 2024.
- ^ "Policy Exchange appoints David Frum as new chairman" (Press release). Policy Exchange. 19 September 2014. Archived from the original on 18 October 2014.,
- ^ "The Times signs big political names for How To Win An Election podcast". Podcasting Today. 20 October 2023. Retrieved 17 April 2024.
- ^ "Council & Vice Presidents - The Jewish Leadership Council". Jewish Leadership Council. Archived from the original on 15 May 2024. Retrieved 12 June 2024.
- ^ a b "Mirjam Finkelstein, Holocaust educator, friend of Anne Frank and survivor of Bergen-Belsen, dies aged 83". The Jewish Chronicle. 30 January 2017. Retrieved 30 January 2017.
- ^ "Obituary – Professor Ludwik Finkelstein OBE FREng" (Press release). City University London. 6 September 2011.
- ^ "Professor Ludwik Finkelstein". The Times. London. 2 September 2011. Retrieved 29 March 2016. (subscription required)
- ^ "Tamara Finkelstein". Government of the United Kingdom. Archived from the original on 20 October 2023. Retrieved 20 October 2023.
- ^ "CHELSEA FOOTBALL CLUB LIMITED people - Find and update company information - GOV.UK". find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk. Retrieved 16 September 2023.
- ^ 'FINKELSTEIN', Who's Who 2014, A & C Black, an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing plc, 2014; online edn, Oxford University Press, 2013
- ^ The Times Guide to the House of Commons 1987
- ^ Zaheer, Mohammad (18 February 2019). "Opinion: It shouldn't have taken a report from outside the Muslim community for Tory Islamophobia to be taken seriously". The Independent. London.
- ^ "About Gatestone Institute". Gatestone Institute. Archived from the original on 9 April 2017. Retrieved 17 March 2021.
- ^ Gjelten, Tom (6 April 2018). "Trump's National Security And State Department Picks Alarm American Muslims". National Public Radio. Washington DC.
- ^ Cerulus, Laurens (17 July 2017). "Germany's anti-fake news lab yields mixed results". Politico.eu.
- ^ @Dannythefink (15 August 2018). "Gatestone Tweet thread". Twitter. Retrieved 19 March 2021.
- ^ Eaton, George (18 May 2018). "Onward, the think tank on a mission to remake conservatism". New Statesman. London. Retrieved 27 August 2019.
- ^ Zatman, Alex (2012). "Shoah memories spur writer Daniel to seek truth and courage". Jewish Telegraph. Manchester.
- ^ Freedman, Sam (28 June 2023). "Hitler, Stalin, Mum and Dad by Daniel Finkelstein review – escape from tyranny". The Guardian. ISSN 1756-3224. Retrieved 13 April 2024.
- ^ Cole, Diane (5 October 2023). "His family survived WWII's horrors, and he's alive to tell the tale". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 13 April 2024.
- ^ "Orwell Prizes 2024 shortlists announced". Books+Publishing. 11 June 2024. Retrieved 24 June 2024.
- ^ "No. 54850". The London Gazette (Supplement). 2 August 1997. p. 8912.
- ^ "Political Studies Association Website". Archived from the original on 29 May 2012.
- ^ Blackburn, David (1 August 2013). "New working peers announced". The Spectator. Archived from the original on 3 August 2013. Retrieved 12 June 2024.
- ^ "No. 60627". The London Gazette. 13 September 2013. p. 18117.
- ^ "Lord Finkelstein, OBE". City University London. Retrieved 9 June 2019.
External links
[edit]- Articles by Daniel Finkelstein Journalisted
- Opinion – Daniel Finkelstein Times Online
- Daniel Finkelstein Twitter
- 1962 births
- Living people
- People educated at University College School
- Alumni of the London School of Economics
- Alumni of City, University of London
- Jewish British politicians
- British male journalists
- British people of Polish-Jewish descent
- British sportswriters
- Conservative Party (UK) life peers
- Officers of the Order of the British Empire
- Social Democratic Party (UK) parliamentary candidates
- Conservative Party (UK) officials
- The Times people
- Conservative Party (UK) parliamentary candidates
- Newspaper leader writers
- Life peers created by Elizabeth II