Simon James Heffer (born July 18, 1960) is an English journalist and writer. He was educated at King Edward VI Grammar School (Chelmsford) and Corpus Christi College, Cambridge. He rejoined The Daily Telegraph in October 2005 as a columnist and associate editor, having served as a columnist for the Daily Mail from 1995. Martin Newland, the Telegraph's editor at the time, described the newspaper as Heffer's "natural journalistic home."^[1] July 18 is the 199th day (200th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar, with 166 days remaining. ... 1960 (MCMLX) was a leap year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1960 calendar). ... Motto (French) God and my right Anthem God Save the King (Queen) England() – on the European continent() – in the United Kingdom() Capital (and largest city) London (de facto) Official languages English (de facto) Government Constitutional monarchy  -  Queen Queen Elizabeth II  -  Prime Minister Tony Blair MP Unification  -  by Athelstan 967  Area... King Edward VI Grammar School, or KEGS, is a British grammar school located in the town of Chelmsford, roughly in the middle of the county of Essex. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... This article concerns the British newspaper. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Daily Mail is a British, tabloid newspaper, first published in 1896. ... Martin Newland (born 1962) is a British journalist who was editor of The Daily Telegraph, a British broadsheet newspaper, from 2003-2005, replacing Charles Moore. ...

He has written biographies of the pamphleteer Thomas Carlyle, the composer Ralph Vaughan Williams, and the politician Enoch Powell. Heffer is an admirer of little-known English composer George Lloyd.^[2] The most familiar view of Carlyle is as the bearded sage with a penetrating gaze. ... Ralph Vaughan Williams Ralph Vaughan Williams, OM (October 12, 1872 – August 26, 1958) was an influential English composer. ... Simon Heffers biography of Enoch Powell, published in 1999 John Enoch Powell, MBE, PC, (June 16, 1912 – February 8, 1998) was a right-wing British politician and Conservative Party Member of Parliament (MP) between 1950 and February 1974, and an Ulster Unionist MP between October 1974 and 1987. ... George Lloyd (28 June 1913 - 3 July 1998) was an English composer of late-Romantic classical music. ...

Politics

Heffer is on the right. He is very critical of the European Union and New Labour, whilst being supportive of the 2003 invasion of Iraq. Culturally, however, he is of the Americosceptic Old Right rather than the pro-American Neoconservative/New Right, as can be seen through his criticism of the "hideous pop music" liked by David Cameron).^[3] Perhaps surprisingly, in the mid-1990s he was generally supportive of New Labour, due to his dissatisfaction with John Major and the Conservative Party at the time. Recently Heffer has written sympathetically of United Kingdom Independence Party (UKIP) and Nigel Farage.^[4] In politics, right-wing, the political right, or simply the right, are terms which refer, with no particular precision, to the segment of the political spectrum in opposition to left-wing politics. ... New Labour is an alternative name of the British political Labour Party. ... Combatants Coalition Forces: United States United Kingdom South Korea Australia Poland Romania others. ... In Britain, the term Old Right is sporadically used to refer to conservatives of various stripes who predated the emergence of Thatcherism, initially in opposition in the 1970s and then in government in the 1980s. ... Neoconservatism describes several distinct political ideologies which are considered new forms of conservatism. ... New Right is used in several countries as a descriptive term for various forms of conservative, right-wing, or self-proclaimed dissident oppositional movements and groups that emerged in the mid- to late twentieth century. ... David William Donald Cameron (born 9 October 1966) is the Leader of the Conservative Party and Leader of the Opposition in the United Kingdom, positions he has occupied since December 2005. ... The 1990s decade refers to the years from the start of 1990 to the end of 1999. ... Sir John Major, KG, CH, PC (born 29 March 1943) was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and leader of the British Conservative Party from 1990 to 1997. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... The United Kingdom Independence Party (commonly known as UKIP, pronounced // ) is a British political party. ... Nigel Paul Farage (born 3 April 1964 in Farnborough, Kent) is a British politician, and leader of the eurosceptic United Kingdom Independence Party (Ukip). ...

Heffer believes that Christianity should have a strong role in shaping both the moral foundation of society and public policy, although he is himself a self-described atheist.^[5]

When the Home Office put Heffer on its Law and Order Task Force, left-wing politicians were concerned about the direction that criminal law reform might take, with human rights lawyer Baroness Kennedy saying that the government "had not just lost the plot but was handing the plotting over to their most feared critics."^{[citation needed]} The modern concept of Small Office and Home Office or SoHo , or Small or Home Office deals with the category of business which can be from 1 to 10 workers. ... In politics, left-wing, political left, leftism, or simply the left, are terms which refer (with no particular precision) to the segment of the political spectrum typically associated with any of several strains of socialism, social democracy, or liberalism (especially in the American sense of the word), or with opposition... Helena Ann Kennedy, Baroness Kennedy of The Shaws QC (born 12 May 1950) is a Labour member of the House of Lords. ...

In 2006, Heffer sharply criticised the movie The Wind That Shakes The Barley, a movie by director Ken Loach about the Irish War of Independence. [4] The Wind That Shakes The Barley is a Palme dOr-winning 2006 film set during the Irish War of Independence (1919–21) and the subsequent Irish Civil War (1922–3). ... Ken Loach Kenneth Loach (born June 17, 1936), known as Ken Loach, is an English television and film director, known for his naturalistic style and socialist themes. ... Combatants Irish Republic United Kingdom Commanders Michael Collins Richard Mulcahy Cathal Brugha Important local IRA leaders Henry Hugh Tudor Strength Irish Republican Army c. ...

Publications

• Heffer, Simon, & Charles Moore (editors), A Tory Seer: The Selected Journalism of T.E. Utley, London, 1989, ISBN 0-241-12728-9

• Heffer, Simon, Moral Desperado: A Life of Thomas Carlyle, London, 1995.

• Heffer, Simon, Power and Place: The Political Consequences of King Edward VII, London, 1998.

• Heffer, Simon, Like The Roman: The Life of Enoch Powell, London, 1998. ISBN 0-297-84286-2

• Heffer, Simon, Vaughan Williams, London, 2000. ISBN 0-297-64398-3

References

1. ^ Columnist Simon Heffer to join The Daily Telegraph. Daily Telegraph. Retrieved on 5 November, 2006.
2. ^ BBC Radio 3, 'Private Passions', broadcast on the 5th of November 2006.
3. ^ Heffer, Simon (2006), "Simon Heffer on Saturday", The Daily Telegraph, 7 January 2006, London. Available at [1], accessed on 6 January 2007.
4. ^ See, for example, [2] and [3]
5. ^ Stop apologising for being Christian. Daily Telegraph. Retrieved on 21 December, 2005.