Polly Toynbee (born Mary Louisa Toynbee on December 27, 1946) is a journalist and writer in the United Kingdom, and has been a columnist for The Guardian newspaper since 1998. She is a social democrat and Labour party supporter. She was appointed President of the British Humanist Association in July 2007^[1] December 27 is the 361st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (362nd in leap years). ... Year 1946 (MCMXLVI) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full 1946 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... A columnist is a journalist who produces a specific form of writing for publication called a column. Columns appear in newspapers, magazines and the Internet. ... For other uses, see Guardian. ... Year 1998 (MCMXCVIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1998 Gregorian calendar). ... Social democracy is a political ideology emerging in the late 19th and early 20th centuries from supporters of Marxism who believed that the transition to a socialist society could be achieved through democratic evolutionary rather than revolutionary means. ... The Labour Party is a political party in the United Kingdom. ... The British Humanist Association is an organisation of the United Kingdom which promotes Humanism. ...

Polly Toynbee.

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Biography

She was born on the Isle of Wight. After attending Badminton School, a girls' independent school in Bristol, followed by the Holland Park School, a state comprehensive school in London (she had failed the Eleven Plus examination), she read history at St Anne's College, Oxford, but dropped out before completing her degree^{[citation needed]}. She then went into journalism, working for many years at The Guardian before joining the BBC where she was social affairs editor (1988–1995). At The Independent, which she joined after leaving the BBC, she was a columnist and associate editor, working with then editor Andrew Marr. After Marr's principal spell as Independent editor she rejoined The Guardian. She has also written for The Observer and the Radio Times; at one time she edited the Washington Monthly USA. Currently Toynbee serves as President of the Social Policy Association. For other uses, see Isle of Wight (disambiguation). ... Badminton School is an independent girls school situated in Bristol, United Kingdom. ... An independent school is a school which is not dependent upon national or local government for financing its operation and is instead operated by tuition charges, gifts, and perhaps the investment yield of an endowment. ... This article is about the English city. ... Holland Park School was opened in London, UK, in 1958 and was the first purpose built comprehensive school. ... A comprehensive school is a secondary school that does not select children on the basis of academic attainment or aptitude. ... This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ... The Eleven Plus is an examination which was given to students in their last year of primary education in the United Kingdom under the Tripartite System. ... This article is about the study of time in human terms. ... and of the St Annes College College name St Annes College Named after St Anne Established 1879 Sister college New Hall, Cambridge Principal Tim Gardam JCR President Kui-Sang Sze Undergraduates 437 Graduates 187 Location of St Annes College within central Oxford , Homepage Boatclub St Annes... For other uses, see BBC (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see The Independent (disambiguation). ... Andrew Marr (born 31 July 1959, Glasgow, Scotland) is a Scottish journalist and political commentator. ... Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ... Current Radio Times logo Radio Times is the BBCs weekly television and radio programme listings magazine. ...

Polly Toynbee was married to the late Peter Jenkins, also a journalist. She now lives with the journalist David Walker, with whom she has collaborated on books reviewing the successes and failures of New Labour in power. Both she and Jenkins were supporters of the Social Democratic Party breakway from Labour in 1981 – both signing the Limehouse Declaration. Toynbee stood for the party at the 1983 General Election in Lewisham East, garnering 9351 votes (22%). She later became something of a rarity in refusing to support the subsequent merger of the SDP with the Liberals (to form the Liberal Democrats), reacting instead by moving back towards Labour when the rump SDP collapsed. Peter Jenkins (11 May, 1934 - 27 May, 1992) was a British journalist. ... The Social Democratic Party (SDP) was a political party of the United Kingdom that existed nationwide between 1981 and 1988. ... Year 1981 (MCMLXXXI) was a common year starting on Thursday (link displays the 1981 Gregorian calendar). ... The Social Democratic Party (SDP) was a United Kingdom political party which existed between 1981 and 1990. ... The UK general election, 1983 was held on June 9, 1983 and gave the Conservatives and Margaret Thatcher the most decisive election victory since that of Labour in 1945. ... Lewisham East is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ...

Although in recent years, Toynbee has been critical of some of Tony Blair's New Labour reforms, she has stated that it is "the best government of my lifetime" and is noted as a stalwart supporter of New Labour.^[2] New Labour is an alternative name of the British political Labour Party. ...

During the 2005 General Election, with dissatisfaction high among traditional Labour voters Toynbee wrote several times about the dangers of protest voting, "Giving Blair a bloody nose". She urged Guardian readers to vote with a clothes peg over their nose if they had to, to make sure Michael Howard would not win from a split vote. "Voters think they can take a free hit at Blair while assuming Labour will win anyway. But Labour won't win if people won't vote for it"^[3]. It has been suggested that Marginal constituencies in the United Kingdom be merged into this article or section. ... A Protest vote is a vote cast in an election to demonstrate the casters unhappiness with the choice of candidates or the current political system. ... Wooden clothespin A clothespin (also clothes peg, or just peg) is a fastener used to hang up, and dry clothes, usually on a clothes line. ... The Rt Hon. ... The spoiler effect is a term to describe the effect a candidate can have on a close election, in which their candidacy results in the election being won by a candidate dissimilar to them, rather than a candidate similar to them. ...

In December 2006, an advisor to Tory leader David Cameron claimed Toynbee should be an influence on the modern Conservative Party, causing a press furore. Cameron later clarified this to say he was impressed by one metaphor in her writings - of society being a caravan crossing a desert, where the people at the back can fall so far behind they are no longer part of the tribe. He added, "I will not be introducing Polly Toynbee's policies." Toynbee expressed some discomfort with this embrace, adding, "I don't suppose the icebergs had much choice about being hugged by Cameron either."^[4] For the Canadian ice hockey player, see Dave Cameron. ... The Conservative Party (officially the Conservative and Unionist Party) is currently the second largest political party in the United Kingdom in terms of sitting Members of Parliament (MPs), the largest in terms of public membership, and the oldest political party in the United Kingdom. ...

Toynbee was awarded an Honorary Degree by London South Bank University in 2002.^[5] In 2005, she was made an Honorary Doctor of The Open University for "her notable contribution to the educational and cultural well-being of society". She is chair of the Brighton Festival. London South Bank University is one of the oldest universities in central London with over 23,000 students and 1,700 staff based in the London Borough of Southwark. ... Open University Logo © Open University The Open University (OU) is a distance learning university which has students all over the UK and accepted its first students in 1971. ... The Brighton Festival, based in the South coast city of Brighton, claims to be the biggest multi-art-form arts festival in England. ...

Hard Work: Life in Low-Pay Britain

Following in the footsteps of Barbara Ehrenreich's 'Nickel and Dimed' (2001), she published in 2003 Hard Work: Life in Low-Pay Britain about an experimental period voluntarily living on the minimum wage, which was £4.10 per hour at the time. She worked as a hospital porter in a National Health Service hospital, a dinnerlady in a primary school, a nursery assistant, a call-centre employee, a cake factory worker and a care home assistant. The book is critical of conditions in low pay jobs in the UK. Barbara Ehrenreich (born August 26, 1941, in Butte, Montana) is a prominent liberal American writer, columnist, feminist, socialist and political activist. ... Cover of the 2001 Metropolitan Books edition Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America is a book authored by Barbara Ehrenreich. ... Year 2001 (MMI) was a common year starting on Monday (link displays the 2001 Gregorian calendar). ... The minimum wage is the minimum rate a worker can legally be paid (usually per hour) as opposed to wages that are determined by the forces of supply and demand in a free market. ... Look up Porter in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... “NHS” redirects here. ... A professionally catered event Catering is the business of providing food service at a remote site. ... A primary school in ÄŒeský Těšín, Czech Republic. ... A very large collections call centre in Lakeland, FL. A call centre or call center (see spelling differences) is a centralised office used for the purpose of receiving and transmitting a large volume of requests by telephone. ... A nursing home is a place of residence for people who require constant medical care, but at a lower level than a hospital. ...

She also contributed an introduction to the UK edition of Ehrenreich's, Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America.

Views on religion

An atheist, Toynbee is an Honorary Associate of the National Secular Society, a supporter of the Humanist Society of Scotland and was appointed President of the British Humanist Association^[6] in July 2007. “Atheist” redirects here. ... The National Secular Society is an organisation of the United Kingdom which promotes secularism. ... The Humanist Society of Scotland (HSS) is a Scottish organisation that promotes Humanist views. ... The British Humanist Association is an organisation of the United Kingdom which promotes Humanism. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ...

In 2004 Toynbee was awarded the 'Most Islamophobic Media Personality' title in the Annual Islamophobia Awards. ^[7] Year 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Annual Islamophobia Awards are awards given by the Islamic Human Rights Commission each year to politicians and journalists whom the Commission judge to have expressed the most Islamophobic opinions in the course of the past year. ...

She is also critical of Christianity and Judaism. She wrote: Topics in Christianity Movements · Denominations · Other religions Ecumenism · Preaching · Prayer Music · Liturgy · Calendar Symbols · Art · Criticism Important figures Apostle Paul · Church Fathers Constantine · Athanasius · Augustine Anselm · Aquinas · Palamas · Luther Calvin · Wesley Arius · Marcion of Sinope Archbishop of Canterbury · Catholic Pope Coptic Pope · Ecumenical Patriarch Christianity Portal This box:      Christianity is... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

The pens sharpen – Islamophobia! No such thing. Primitive Middle Eastern religions (and most others) are much the same – Islam, Christianity and Judaism all define themselves through disgust for women's bodies.^[8]

Criticism

Toynbee is a polarising figure, attracting both praise and criticism. She recently topped a poll of 100 "opinion makers", carried out by Editorial Intelligence.^{[citation needed]} She was also named the most influential columnist in the UK.^{[citation needed]}Richard Littlejohn of the Daily Mail has called Toynbee the "Guardian's resident madwoman"^[9] amongst other less appealing epithets, and Conservative MP and journalist, Boris Johnson, wrote that she, "incarnates all the nannying, high-taxing, high-spending schoolmarminess of Blair's Britain. Polly is the high priestess of our paranoid, mollycoddled, risk-averse, airbagged, booster-seated culture of political correctness and 'elf 'n' safety fascism".^[10] Richard William Littlejohn (born 18 January 1954 in Ilford, Essex) is an award-winning right wing British journalist, broadcaster, and author of three best-selling books. ... The Daily Mail is a British newspaper and the oldest tabloid, first published in 1896. ... Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson (born 19 June 1964, New York)[2] is a British Conservative Party politician, journalist and former editor of The Spectator. ... For other uses, see Health (disambiguation). ...

Family

Toynbee was the second daughter of the literary critic Philip Toynbee (by his first wife Anne), and so granddaughter of the historian Arnold J. Toynbee and thus great-great niece of philanthropist and economic historian Arnold Toynbee after whom Toynbee Hall in the East End of London is named. Theodore Philip Toynbee (June 25, 1916 - June 15, 1981) was a British writer and journalist. ... Arnold Joseph Toynbee (April 14, 1889 - October 22, 1975) was a British historian whose twelve-volume analysis of the rise and fall of civilizations, A Study of History, 1934-1961, was a synthesis of world history, a metahistory based on universal rhythms of rise, flowering and decline. ... This page is about the economic historian Arnold Toynbee; for the universal historian Arnold Joseph Toynbee see this article. ... Toynbee Hall is the original university settlement house. ... The term East End is most commonly used to refer to the East End of London. ... This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ...

She is also, despite her scorn for supposedly aristocratic Tories like Boris Johnson^[11], a direct descendant of George Howard, 9th Earl of Carlisle.^[12] Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson (born 19 June 1964, New York)[2] is a British Conservative Party politician, journalist and former editor of The Spectator. ... George James Howard, 9th Earl of Carlisle (London, 12 August 1843-Hindhead, Brackland 16 April 1911) was an English aristocrat, politician and painter. ...

Her partner, David Walker, the social affairs editor of The Guardian, with whom she has co-authored two books.

See also

• List of atheists

An atheist is one who disbelieves[1] in the existence of a deity or deities. ...

References

The British Humanist Association is an organisation of the United Kingdom which promotes Humanism. ...

Partial bibliography

• Hard Work: Life in Low-pay Britain (2003) ISBN 0-7475-6415-9.
• Lost Children: Story of Adopted Children Searching for Their Mothers (1985) ISBN 0-09-160440-0.
• Way We Live Now (1981) ISBN 0-413-49090-4.
• Hospital (1977) ISBN 0-09-131390-2.
• A Working Life (1971) ISBN 0-340-14760-1.
• Leftovers (1969) ISBN 0-586-02643-6.

External links

• Guardian columns by Polly Toynbee
• Political Journalist of the Year 2003 citation
• 2003 Honorary Degree from London South Bank University