Simon Jenkins

For the writer and designer Simon Jenkins, see Ship of Fools (website)

Sir Simon David Jenkins FRSL (born 10 June 1943) is a British newspaper columnist, editor and author. Since November 2008, he has been chairman of the National Trust.

He writes columns for both The Guardian and London's Evening Standard. He was previously a commentator for The Times, which he edited from 1990 to 1992. He was educated at Mill Hill School and St John's College, Oxford, where he read Philosophy, Politics, and Economics.

A former editor of both The Times and the Evening Standard, he was appointed a Knight Bachelor for services to journalism in the 2004 New Year honours.

Jenkins married the American actress Gayle Hunnicutt in 1978; the couple separated in 2008 and have divorced.

Career

Journalism

After graduating from Oxford, Jenkins worked initially at Country Life magazine, before joining The Times Educational Supplement. He next edited the Sunday Times Insight pages. From 1976 to 1978 he was editor of the Evening Standard, before moving to become political editor of the Economist. He edited The Times from 1990 to 1992, but since then has primarily worked as a columnist.

On 28 January 2005, he announced he was ending his 15-year association with The Times in order to write a book before joining The Guardian on a freelance basis. He retained a column on the Sunday Times until late summer 2008. Since May 2005, he has been a contributing blogger at The Huffington Post. Since 2009, he has also written a column for the Tuesday edition of the London paper, the Evening Standard.

On 14 April 2009, the Guardian newspaper withdrew one of his articles from its website after ANC leader and current South African President Jacob Zuma sued the paper for defamation.

In February 2010 Jenkins argued in a Guardian article that the Falkland Islands are an example of anachronistic British colonialism and should be handed over to Argentine control. They could be leased back under the auspices of the UN. Citing the 1982 conflict to retrieve the islands for Britain as ‘the silliest of wars,’ he remarked that 2500 islanders should not have an ‘unqualified veto on British government policy.’ In March 2012, he stated on Question Time that Britain should begin negotiating the handover of the Falkland Islands to the Argentine Government. Only his fellow panelist Alexei Sayle agreed; the others and the audience disapproved.

In December 2010 Jenkins spoke disparagingly on the Radio 4 Today Programme about the Shard, a skyscraper currently under construction in London. He was described as a "professional miserabilist" in The Londonist.

Books

Insignia of Knight Bachelor

Jenkins has written several books on politics, history and architecture, including England's Thousand Best Churches and England's Thousand Best Houses. More recently in his history of England, he argues that the British Empire "was a remarkable institution that dismantled itself in good order." He wrote that England is "the most remarkable country in European history."

Public appointments

Jenkins served on the Boards of British Rail 1979-1990 and London Transport 1984-86. He was a member of the Millennium Commission from February 1994 to December 2000, and has also sat on the Board of Trustees of the Architecture Foundation. From 1985 to 1990, he was deputy chairman of English Heritage.

In July 2008, it was announced that he had been chosen as the new chairman of the National Trust; he took over the post from William Proby in November of that year. Although Jenkins had in the past been critical of some aspects of the Trust's work, he said he was "very pleased" by his appointment, and that the Trust was "one of England's great institutions".

Honours

• In 1998 he was named as the What the Papers Say Journalist of the Year.
• He was knighted in 2004 for services to journalism.

Selected works

• Simon Jenkins (1969) Education and Labour's Axe, Bow Pubns., ISBN 0-900182-79-2
• Simon Jenkins (1971) Here to Live: Study of Race Relations in an English Town Runnymede Trust ISBN 0-902397-12-5
• Simon Jenkins (1975) Landlords to London: Story of a Capital and Its Growth Constable, ISBN 0-09-460150-X
• Simon Jenkins (1979) Newspapers: The Power and the Money Faber, ISBN 0-571-11468-7
• Simon Jenkins (1981) Newspapers Through the Looking-glass Manchester Statistical Society, ISBN 0-85336-058-8
• Simon Jenkins and Andrew Graham-Yooll (1983) Imperial Skirmishes: War And Gunboat Diplomacy In Latin America Diane Publishing, ISBN 0-7567-7468-3
• Simon Jenkins and Anne Sloman (1985) With Respect, Ambassador: Enquiry into the Foreign Office BBC, ISBN 0-563-20329-3
• Simon Jenkins (1986) The Market for Glory: Fleet Street Ownership in the Twentieth Century Faber and Faber, ISBN 0-571-14627-9
• Simon Jenkins and Robert Ilson (1992) "The Times" English Style and Usage Guide Times Books ISBN 0-7230-0396-3
• Simon Jenkins (1993) The Selling of Mary Davies and Other Writings John Murray, ISBN 0-7195-5298-2
• Sir Max Hastings and Simon Jenkins (1992) Battle for the Falklands M Joseph, ISBN 0-7181-2578-9
• Simon Jenkins (1994) Against the Grain, John Murray, ISBN 0-7195-5570-1
• Simon Jenkins (1995) Accountable to None: Tory Nationalization of Britain Hamish Hamilton, ISBN 0-241-13591-5
• Simon Jenkins (1999) England's Thousand Best Churches Allen Lane, ISBN 0-7139-9281-6
• Simon Jenkins (2003) England's Thousand Best Houses Allen Lane, ISBN 0-7139-9596-3
• Simon Jenkins (2006) Thatcher & Sons - A Revolution in Three Acts Penguin, ISBN 978-0-7139-9595-4
• Simon Jenkins (2011) A Short History of England Profile Books, ISBN 978-1-84668-461-6

See also

• List of newspaper columnists

External links

• Simon Jenkins columns for The Guardian
• Simon Jenkins columns for Huffington Post
• Debrett's People of Today