Published: February 9th 2009 - at 12:34 pm

Martin Bright joins Spectator


by Newswire    

The former political editor of New Statesman, Martin Bright, has started blogging for his former employer’s arch-rival Spectator magazine. In his opening salvo he acknowledges the tension:

So here I am on hostile ground, writing for a readership I barely understand (although I hope we will get to know each other better). British politics is nothing if not tribal and some will see my move to The Spectator as a gross act of treachery, a classic defection in the tradition of my new colleagues Paul Johnson and Melanie Phillips. But it doesn’t feel that way to me. After more than three years in the political editor’s job at the New Statesman it was simply time to move on. I was delighted when the people at Coffee House gave me the opportunity to move my blog onto this site, which has become Britain’s pre-eminent site for political comment. I’d like to think the ideological tension will be creative.

Meanwhile, his new colleague Melanie Phillips is still silent on the Sunday Times revelations that trashed the original MMR controversy.


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Reader comments


excellent.

Now he is free to attack Brown who tried his best to get him fired

It would indeed be nice if Melanie Phillips were to apologise for publishing socially irresponsible hysteria on matters of which she knows nothing.

Sadly, I think that would involve her changing the habits of a lifetime.

After his contribution to the defeat of Ken and victory of Boris in the mayoral election, it seems approrpiate that he should end up at BoJo’s old stomping ground. I’m too tribal to wholly forgive him for this, though I think he is a good journo. If he were to somehow get his colleague Mad Mel to retract her comments about MMR as a small attempt at damage-limitation (though it’s too late now I fear) that would be some compensation.

Well he actually seems to be updating that blog which is a pleasant change. The things people will do for money!

No surprise whatsoever.

“Sadly, I think that would involve her changing the habits of a lifetime.”

Fair point.

Why would anybody read her then?

Bright obliterated his own journalistic credibility with his smear-fest against Livingstone, so it’s no surprise he’s ended up working alongside Mad Mel.


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