The Bow Group is a UK-based think tank promoting conservative opinion. Founded in 1951, it is the oldest group of its kind, counting many senior Conservative Party MPs and peers among its members. It represents a forum for political debate with its varied programme of events and official journal.
106-478: Although often associated with the Conservative Party, the group is now perhaps better categorised as a right-wing think tank. The Bow Group exists to publish and promote the research and policy proposals of its members, through policy papers, policy briefs and larger collaborative projects. The group's journal, Crossbow , usually published four times a year, and the group's programme of meetings during
212-438: A BAFTA award for "Best Talk Show". In the course of the series Neil interviewed a wide variety of personalities, from Albert Reynolds and Morris Cerullo to Jimmy Savile and Max Clifford . He acted as a television newsreader in two films: Dirty Weekend (1993) and Parting Shots (1999), both directed by Michael Winner . In 1988 he became founding chairman of Sky TV , also part of Murdoch's News Corporation . Neil
318-589: A cooperative to a share of the surplus or profit generated by the co-op, called a patronage refund . This refund is a form of dividend . In the Church of England , patronage is the commonly used term for the right to present a candidate to a benefice. The liturgical feast of the Patronage of Our Lady was first permitted by decree of the Sacred Congregation of Rites on 6 May 1679, for all
424-632: A 1960s time warp and that it needed to "shake off its collectivist mind-set to become the champion of a market-led revolution that would shake the British Establishment to its bones and transform the economy and society". Neil later said that although he shared some of Murdoch's right-wing views, "on many matters Rupert was well to the right of me politically. He was a monetarist . I was not. Nor did I share his conservative social outlook ". In his first editorial, on 9 October 1983, Neil advised Margaret Thatcher 's government to "move to
530-485: A BBC presenter in the financial year 2016–17. In May 2019, Neil interviewed Ben Shapiro , an American conservative commentator, on Politics Live on BBC Two. Shapiro was promoting his new book, The Right Side of History , which discusses Judeo-Christian values and asserts their decline in the United States. Shapiro took offence to the questioning, accused Neil of having a left-leaning bias, and said Neil
636-488: A Bow Group debate with David Starkey, Shami Chakrabarti and Kwasi Kwarteng , Starkey described Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond as a "Caledonian Hitler". In May 2013, the Bow Group warned MPs of the dangers of privatising Royal Mail , including the potential for stamps to increase in price, the threat to rural Post Offices and the political danger to the Conservative Party. The Bow Group also warned that Royal Mail
742-609: A UAE-US consortium is successful in its proposed takeover of the magazine and its sister publication the Daily Telegraph. In September 2024, following the acquisition of The Spectator by Paul Marshall , he resigned as chairman. Since 2006 Neil has been chair of the Dubai -based publishing company ITP Media Group . In June 2008, Neil led a consortium which bought talent agency Peters, Fraser & Dunlop (PFD) from CSS Stellar plc for £4 million, making him chairman of
848-562: A book by an American right-winger who rejected the scientific consensus on the causes of AIDS, and who falsely claimed that AIDS could not spread to heterosexuals. Articles and editorials in The Sunday Times cast doubt on the scientific consensus, described HIV as a "politically correct virus" about which there was a "conspiracy of silence," disputed that AIDS was spreading in Africa, claimed that tests for HIV were invalid, described
954-413: A correspondent and was later promoted as editor of the publication's section on Britain. Neil was editor of The Sunday Times from 1983 to 1994. His hiring was controversial: it was argued he was appointed by Rupert Murdoch over more experienced colleagues, such as Hugo Young and Brian MacArthur . Neil told Murdoch before he was appointed editor that The Sunday Times was intellectually stuck in
1060-665: A daily broadcast for Times Radio providing political analysis, commentary, interviews and debates. Neil was born on 21 May 1949 in Paisley, Renfrewshire , to Mary and James Neil. His mother worked in cotton mills during World War II and his father ran the wartime Cairo fire brigade, worked as an electrician and was a major in the Territorial Army in Renfrewshire. He grew up in the Glenburn area and attended
1166-487: A great deal of patronage, in the sense that they make decisions on the appointment of officials inside and outside government (for example on quangos in the UK). Patronage is therefore a recognized power of the executive branch . In most countries, the executive has the right to make many appointments, some of which may be lucrative (see also sinecures ). In some democracies , high-level appointments are reviewed or approved by
SECTION 10
#17327659863011272-628: A live programme on BBC One entitled BBC News Special: Politics in Crisis , addressing the Supreme Court judgement which deemed Boris Johnson's prorogation of parliament unlawful. In the run-up to the 2019 general election , Neil interviewed all the leaders of the main political parties, excluding Johnson, having delivered a monologue in The Andrew Neil Interviews issuing him a challenge to participate. On 15 July 2020
1378-644: A mixed internal response, and Murdoch cancelled the entire project in late October. Neil did not return to his job as Sunday Times editor. Neil became a contributor to the Daily Mail . In 1996, he became editor-in-chief of the Barclay brothers ' Press Holdings group of newspapers, owner of The Scotsman , Sunday Business (later just The Business ) and The European . Press Holdings sold The Scotsman in December 2005, ending Neil's relationship with
1484-513: A quagmire", Neil ridiculed Daily Mail columnist Stephen Glover , calling him "woolly, wimpy" and "juvenile". He compared Tony Blair to Winston Churchill and Osama bin Laden to Adolf Hitler , while describing the United States invasion of Afghanistan as a "calibrated response" and a "patient, precise and successful deployment of US military power". Neil was an early advocate of
1590-496: A renewed attempt to develop nuclear weapons." He wrote that Saddam Hussein would provide Al-Qaeda with weapons of mass destruction , and that Saddam had links to the September 11 attacks . Neil has been accused of rejecting the scientific consensus on climate change and was criticised for frequently inviting non-scientists and climate change deniers to deny climate change on his BBC programmes. In 2012, Bob Ward of
1696-462: A scaled-down monarchy that would not be class-based but which would be "an institution with close links to all classes. That meant clearing out the old-school courtiers...and creating a court which was far more representative of the multi-racial meritocracy that Britain was becoming". In an editorial of February 1991 Neil criticised some minor members of the Royal Family for their behaviour while
1802-452: A stroke, a power struggle began between Soviet Premier Alexei Rykov , Pravda editor Nikolai Bukharin , Profintern leader Mikhail Tomsky , Red Army founder Leon Trotsky , former Premier Lev Kamenev , Comintern leader Grigory Zinoviev , and General Secretary Joseph Stalin . Stalin used patronage to appoint many Stalinist delegates (such as Vyacheslav Molotov , Lazar Kaganovich , Grigory Ordzhonikidze , and Mikhail Kalinin ) to
1908-425: A study of the "Patels of Britain", a celebration of the success of Britain's Asian community. Neil regards the newspaper's revelation of details of Israel's nuclear weapons programme in 1986, by using photographs and testimony from former Israeli nuclear technician Mordechai Vanunu , as his greatest scoop as an editor. During his editorship, the newspaper lost a libel case over claims that it had made concerning
2014-479: A television franchise in the country. The Malaysian prime minister at the time told Clarke on a ministerial visit that he had achieved Neil's sacking after a telephone conversation with Murdoch. The conflict between Neil and Mohamad did become public knowledge at the time. The British minister of state for trade Richard Needham criticised Neil and the newspaper for potentially putting thousands of jobs at risk. Neil's departure from his role as Sunday Times editor
2120-477: A weekly podcast. The Andrew Neil Show launched with an interview with cabinet minister Jacob Rees-Mogg , and Neil was also joined by journalists Pippa Crerar and Madeline Grant. Since May 2024, Andrew Neil hosts a daily-scheduled lunchtime show on Times Radio , from 1pm to 2pm, in which he provides commentaries and in-depth analysis on current domestic and international affairs, joined by Times journalists, other press columnists or political guests. Neil
2226-585: A weekly politics show to be launched later in 2022. On 30 January, Channel 4 aired a documentary, Boris Johnson: Has He Run Out of Road? , in which Neil explored the future of Boris Johnson 's premiership following repeated allegations of parties held in Downing Street during the COVID-19 lockdown . On 21 February, Channel 4 announced he would host a show beginning in May, which would also be accompanied by
SECTION 20
#17327659863012332-722: A witness, Carmen Proetta , who was interviewed after her appearance in the Death on the Rock documentary on the Gibraltar shootings . One of The Sunday Times journalists involved, Rosie Waterhouse, resigned not long afterwards. On 20 July 1986, The Sunday Times printed a front-page article (titled 'Queen dismayed by "uncaring" Thatcher') alleging that the Queen believed that Margaret Thatcher 's policies were "uncaring, confrontational and socially divisive". The main source of information
2438-492: Is meritocracy . In many Latin American countries, patronage developed as a means of population control , concentrating economic and political power in a small minority which held privileges that the majority of the population did not. In this system, the patrón holds authority and influence over a less powerful person, whom he protects by granting favors in exchange for loyalty and allegiance. With roots in feudalism ,
2544-415: Is familiar in the contemporary world. This kind of system continues across many fields of the arts. Though the nature of the sponsors has changed—from churches to charitable foundations, and from aristocrats to plutocrats —the term patronage has a more neutral connotation than in politics. It may simply refer to direct support (often financial) of an artist, for example by grants . In the latter part of
2650-400: Is still in negotiation today, as there are points yet to be decided. Political patronage is not always considered corrupt. In the United States, the U.S. Constitution provides the president with the power to appoint individuals to government positions. The president also may appoint personal advisers without congressional approval. Not surprisingly, these individuals tend to be supporters of
2756-612: The 2003 invasion of Iraq , describing the case for war and regime change advanced by Tony Blair and George W. Bush as "convincing" and "masterful". In 2002, Neil wrote that Iraq had "embarked on a worldwide shopping spree to buy the technology and material needed to construct weapons of mass destruction – and the missile systems needed to deliver them across great distances", and that "the suburbs of Baghdad are now dotted with secret installations, often posing as hospitals or schools, developing missile fuel, bodies and guidance systems, chemical and biological warheads and, most sinister of all,
2862-506: The BBC and on Channel 4 . Born in Paisley , Renfrewshire , Neil attended Paisley Grammar School , before studying at the University of Glasgow . He entered journalism in 1973 as a correspondent for The Economist . Neil was appointed editor of The Sunday Times by Rupert Murdoch in 1983, and held this position until 1994. After this, he became a contributor to the Daily Mail . He
2968-593: The Brookings Institution , Harold Trinkunas, stated that involving the military in business was "a danger", with Trinkunas explaining that the Venezuelan military "has the greatest ability to coerce people, into business like they have". According to Bloomberg Business , "[b]y showering contracts on former military officials and pro-government business executives, Chavez put a new face on the system of patronage". There are historical examples where
3074-501: The Fabian Society . Since then, it has expanded under chairmen such as Geoffrey Howe , Leon Brittan , Norman Lamont , Michael Howard , Peter Lilley , Christopher Bland , and David Campbell Bannerman . Much of the group's thought can be categorised as conservatism supporting both a market economy and social responsibility . The reputation of the group was founded on the need for innovative conservative thinking to address
3180-722: The Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment at the London School of Economics , said that Neil had "rarely, if ever, included a climate scientist in any of its debates about global warming" on his BBC programme Daily Politics . Ward wrote in The Guardian in 2011 that Neil let inaccurate and misleading statements about climate change go unchallenged on Daily Politics . In November 2020, Neil said that climate change
3286-835: The Party Politburo and Sovnarkom in order to sway the votes in his favour, making Stalin the effective leader of the country by 1929. In 2012, the African National Congress (ANC) mayor of Beaufort West in the Western Cape Province wrote a letter that openly and illegally solicited funds from the Construction Education and Training Authority for the ANC's 2016 election campaign. This episode, amongst many others including instances revolving around President Jacob Zuma, revealed how
Bow Group - Misplaced Pages Continue
3392-695: The Pendleton Act in 1883, which set up the Civil Service Commission . Henceforth, applicants for most federal government jobs would have to pass an examination. Federal politicians' influence over bureaucratic appointments waned, and patronage declined as a national political issue. Beginning in 1969, a Supreme Court case in Chicago, Michael L. Shakman v. Democratic Organization of Cook County , occurred involving political patronage and its constitutionality. Shakman claimed that much of
3498-586: The River Thames . In the 2015 election , Neil interviewed political figures in the BBC studio. He also provided commentary on foreign elections, and with Katty Kay led the BBC's overnight live coverage of the US presidential election in 2016 . In the run-up to the 2017 general election he interviewed five of the political party leaders on BBC One in The Andrew Neil Interviews . Neil earned £200,000 to £249,999 as
3604-646: The United States House of Representatives , the New York City Board of Advisors, and the New York State Senate . In 1873, Tweed was convicted for diverting between $ 40 million and $ 200 million of public monies. Six months after James Garfield became president in 1881, Charles J. Guiteau , a disappointed office-seeker, assassinated him. To prevent further political violence and to assuage public outrage, Congress passed
3710-417: The black economy and crime, with illegitimacy being the single most reliable predictor. The accompanying editorial said Britain was in the midst of a "social tragedy of Dickensian proportions", with an underclass "characterized by drugs, casual violence, petty crime, illegitimate children, homelessness, work avoidance and contempt for conventional values". Under Neil's editorship, The Sunday Times opposed
3816-568: The legislature (as in the advice and consent of the United States Senate ); in other countries, such as those using the Westminster system , this is not the case. Other types of political patronage may violate the laws or ethics codes, such as when political leaders engage in nepotism (hiring family members) and cronyism such as fraudulently awarding non-competitive government contracts to friends or relatives or pressuring
3922-486: The poll tax . In his memoirs, Neil said that his opposition to the poll tax crystallised when he discovered that his cleaner would be paying more poll tax than himself at a time when his income tax had just been reduced to 40% from 60%. During the 1990 Conservative Party leadership election , The Sunday Times was the only Murdoch-owned newspaper to support Michael Heseltine against Thatcher. Neil blamed Thatcher for high inflation, "misplaced chauvinism" over Europe, and
4028-476: The "AIDS establishment" and said "Aids had become an industry, a job-creation scheme for the caring classes." Patron Patronage is the support, encouragement, privilege, or financial aid that an organization or individual bestows on another. In the history of art, arts patronage refers to the support that princes , popes , and other wealthy and influential people have provided to artists such as musicians, painters, and sculptors. It can also refer to
4134-439: The 20th century to allow some participation in power structures, but many systems still favor a small powerful elite, who distribute economic and political favors in exchange for benefits to the lower classes. From the ancient world onward, patronage of the arts was important in art history . It is known in greatest detail in reference to medieval and Renaissance Europe, though patronage can also be traced in feudal Japan ,
4240-490: The 20th century, the academic sub-discipline of patronage studies began to evolve, in recognition of the important and often neglected role that the phenomenon of patronage had played in the cultural life of previous centuries. Charitable and other non-profit making organizations often seek one or more influential figureheads to act as patrons. The relationship often does not involve money. As well as conferring credibility, these people can use their contacts and charisma to assist
4346-485: The African National Congress as ruling political party utilized patronage to reward supporters and strengthen the leading faction of the party's control over governmental institutions. In the United States during the Gilded Age , patronage became a controversial issue. Tammany boss William M. Tweed was an American politician who ran what is considered now to have been one of the most corrupt political machines in
Bow Group - Misplaced Pages Continue
4452-543: The Arts etc . The publication in 1973 of Peter Lilley's Alternative Manifesto marked the beginnings of the intellectual shift from the policies of the Heath government . The group was later in the vanguard of developing policy on privatisation and new enterprise zones, and promoting the extension of share ownership. The group continued to publish pamphlets on a wide range of issues during the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s. In July 2012,
4558-413: The BBC announced that Neil was in talks about an interview show on BBC One. The next month he was discussed in the media as Sir David Clementi 's possible successor as chairman of the BBC ; he later said he had no interest in the role. The Director-General of the BBC , Tim Davie , on his second day in the role, held talks with Neil "in an attempt to get him back to the BBC" and it was reported that he
4664-511: The BBC announced that Neil would host a prime-time political programme that would run through autumn 2019 on BBC Two, called The Andrew Neil Show . The show included "in-depth analysis and forensic questioning of key political players". It was suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020 and then cancelled as the BBC went through with budget cuts. On 24 September 2019, Neil presented
4770-533: The Barmakids in those times is reflected in The Book of One Thousand and One Nights ; the vizier Ja'far appears in several stories, as well as a tale that gave rise to the expression "Barmecide feast". We know of Yahya b Khalid al Barmaki (805) as a patron of physicians and, specifically, of the translation of Hindu medical works into both Arabic and Persian. In all likelihood, however, his activity took place in
4876-537: The Bow Group released a report opposing the Government's plans to trial badger culling in England, stating that the findings of the previous Labour government's major badger culling trials several years earlier were that culling does not work. The paper was authored by Graham Godwin-Pearson with a foreword by Brian May and contributions by leading tuberculosis scientists, including Lord Krebs . In April 2012, at
4982-690: The Bow Group, reflecting on 60 years of its history in British politics, appointed former British Prime Minister John Major as its President and Lords Howe, Howard and Lamont as its Senior Patrons to serve on the advisory board of the organisation. In 2014 the conservative academics David Starkey and Roger Scruton joined the advisory board, with Scruton addressing the Group on the difference between modern Conservatism and ideological conservatism . In 2015 Norman Tebbit , former Conservative Party chairman and long-term confidant of Margaret Thatcher , also joined
5088-644: The Canadian tradition of the prime minister to appoint senators and the heads of a number of commissions and agencies; in many cases, these appointments go to people who have supported the political party of the prime minister. As well, the term may refer to a type of corruption or favoritism in which a party in power rewards groups, families, or ethnicities for their electoral support using illegal gifts or fraudulently awarded appointments or government contracts. The opposite of this structure, where all individuals advance based on their personal traits and abilities,
5194-686: The Chairman of the 1922 Committee Graham Brady , at a Bow Group debate in July 2014. In October 2015 the Bow Group joined the Leave.EU organisation and declared it would be campaigning for Britain's exit from the European Union . Andrew Neil Andrew Ferguson Neil FRSA (born 21 May 1949) is a British journalist and broadcaster. He was editor of The Sunday Times from 1983 to 1994. He has presented various political programmes on
5300-924: The HIV/AIDS treatment drug azidothymidine (AZT) as harmful, and characterised the World Health Organization (WHO) as an "Empire-building AIDS [organisation]." The pseudoscientific coverage of HIV/AIDS in The Sunday Times led the scientific journal Nature to monitor the newspaper's coverage and to publish letters rebutting the falsehoods printed in The Sunday Times . In response to this, The Sunday Times published an article headlined "AIDS – why we won't be silenced", which said that Nature engaged in censorship and "sinister intent". In his 1996 book, Full Disclosure , Neil wrote that his HIV/AIDS denialism "deserved publication to encourage debate." That same year, he wrote that The Sunday Times had been vindicated in its coverage, "The Sunday Times
5406-666: The Soviet Union installed SS-20s in Eastern Europe, and it criticised the resurgent Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament . Neil also wrote editorials supporting the United States invasion of Grenada because it would restore democracy there, despite opposition from Hugo Young. Neil replied to Young that he wanted the editorial stance of The Sunday Times to be "neo-Keynesian in economic policy, radical right in industrial policy, liberal on social matters and European and Atlanticist on foreign policy". In Neil's first year as
SECTION 50
#17327659863015512-593: The arts to endorse their political ambitions, social positions, and prestige. That is, patrons operated as sponsors . Many languages have terms for patrons (such as the English "mecenate") that are derived from the name of Gaius Maecenas , generous friend and adviser to the Roman Emperor Augustus . Some patrons, such as the Medici family of Florence , used artistic patronage to "cleanse" wealth that
5618-418: The board. Addressing the organisation at a lecture prior to his appointment he criticised the centrism and lack of ideological clarity in the modern Conservative Party, and called for an end to the " Bedroom Tax ". In May 2015, with polls pointing to a hung Parliament in the run up to the 2015 general election , the Bow Group chairman, Ben Harris-Quinney, called on voters in marginal constituencies to support
5724-550: The channel. Two weeks after the channel's launch, after having hosted eight episodes of his show, he announced he would be taking a break. He spent months in his hiatus involved in legal disputes with GB News over ending his contract. However, Neil and the channel publicly maintained that he was taking a holiday, and he was expected to rejoin the channel in early September. As that time approached, multiple news sources reported that his return had been postponed, with some speculating that this postponement might become indefinite. It
5830-501: The corporation. From 2007 to 2010, he presented the weekly one-on-one political interview programme Straight Talk with Andrew Neil on the BBC News channel . He also presented Sunday Politics on BBC One between 2012 and 2017 and occasionally guest presented Newsnight on BBC Two following host Jeremy Paxman 's departure in 2014. During the BBC's general election night coverage in 2010 , Neil interviewed various celebrities on
5936-533: The country was at war in the Gulf . In 1992 Neil obtained for The Sunday Times the serialisation rights for Andrew Morton 's book Diana: Her True Story , which revealed the breakdown of Princess Diana 's marriage as well as her bulimia and her suicide attempts. In 1992 Neil was criticised by anti-Nazi groups and historians like Hugh Trevor-Roper for employing the Holocaust denier David Irving to translate
6042-740: The country's history. Tweed and his corrupt associates ruled for a brief time with absolute power over the city and state of New York. At the height of his influence, Tweed was the third-largest landowner in New York City , a director of the Erie Railway , the Tenth National Bank , and the New-York Printing Company, as well as proprietor of the Metropolitan Hotel . At times he was a member of
6148-523: The diaries of Joseph Goebbels . According to Neil, he was replaced as Sunday Times editor in 1994 because Murdoch had become envious of his celebrity. Many years later, in November 2017, former Conservative cabinet minister Kenneth Clarke said Neil had been removed because Neil's article about corruption in the Malaysian government of Mahathir Mohamad conflicted with Murdoch's desire to acquire
6254-520: The ecclesiastical provinces of Spain , in memory of the victories obtained over the Saracens, heretics and other enemies from the sixth century to the reign of Philip IV of Spain . Pope Benedict XIV ordered it to be kept in the Papal States on the third Sunday of November. To other places it is granted, on request, for some Sunday in November, to be designated by the ordinary . In many places,
6360-560: The existing patronage system. Boliburguesía is a term that was coined by journalist Juan Carlos Zapata in order to "define the oligarchy that has developed under the protection of the Chavez government ". During Hugo Chávez's tenure, he seized thousands of properties and businesses while also reducing the footprint of foreign companies. Venezuela's economy was then largely state-run and was operated by military officers that had their business and government affairs connected. Senior fellow at
6466-581: The feast of the Patronage is held with an additional Marian title of Queen of All Saints, of Mercy, Mother of Graces . The Office is taken entirely from the Common of the Blessed Virgin, and the Mass is the "Salve sancta parens". The Church Patronage (Scotland) Act 1711 , (in force until 1874) resulted in multiple secessions from the Church of Scotland , including the secession of 1733 , which led to
SECTION 60
#17327659863016572-797: The formation of the Associate Presbytery, the secession of 1761 , which led to the formation of the Relief Church , and the Disruption of 1843 , which led to the formation of the Free Church of Scotland . While most news companies, particularly in North America are funded through advertising revenue, secondary funding sources include audience members and philanthropists who donate to for-profit and non-profit organizations. Political leaders have at their disposal
6678-434: The former Miss India , Pamella Bordes , in a nightclub, an inappropriate place for someone with Neil's job according to Peregrine Worsthorne . The News of the World suggested Bordes was a call girl . Worsthorne argued in an editorial article "Playboys as Editors" in March 1989 for The Sunday Telegraph that Neil was not fit to edit a serious Sunday newspaper. Worsthorne effectively accused Neil of knowing that Bordes
6784-399: The industrial decay of the 1960s and 1970s". Having been impressed with Charles Murray 's study of the American welfare state, Losing Ground , Neil invited Murray to Britain in 1989 to study Britain's emerging underclass . The Sunday Times Magazine of 26 November 1989 was largely devoted to Murray's report, which found that the British underclass consisted of people existing on welfare,
6890-399: The initial shortage of satellite dishes were early problems. The failure of BSB in November 1990 led to a merger, but a few programmes acquired by BSB were screened on Sky One and BSB's satellites were sold. The new company was called British Sky Broadcasting (BSkyB). The merger may have saved Sky financially; despite its popularity, Sky had very few major advertisers to begin with, and it
6996-473: The local Langcraigs Primary School. At 11, Neil passed the qualifying examination and obtained entrance to the selective Paisley Grammar School . After school, Neil attended the University of Glasgow , where he edited the student newspaper, the Glasgow University Guardian , and dabbled in student television. He was a member of the Dialectic Society and the Conservative Club , and participated in Glasgow University Union inter-varsity debates. In 1971, he
7102-410: The new company in addition to his other activities. Neil served as Lord Rector of the University of St Andrews from 1999 to 2002. As well as Neil's newspaper activities he has maintained a television career. While he worked for The Economist , he provided news reports to American networks. His regular interview series for Channel 4 , Is This Your Life? (made by Open Media ), was nominated for
7208-448: The newspaper. Neil has not enjoyed great success with the circulations of the newspapers (indeed The European folded shortly after he took over). The Business closed down in February 2008. He exchanged his role as chief executive of Press Holdings for chairman in July 2008. He is chairman of the Press Holdings title The Spectator . In January 2024, Neil told BBC Newsnight that he would quit his role as chairman of The Spectator if
7314-413: The noble classes financed scientific pursuits. Many Barmakids were patrons of the sciences, which greatly helped the propagation of Indian science and scholarship from the neighboring Academy of Gundishapur into the Arabic world. They patronized scholars such as Jabir ibn Hayyan and Jabril ibn Bukhtishu . They are also credited with the establishment of the first paper mill in Baghdad. The power of
7420-465: The orbit of the caliphal court in Iraq, where at the behest of Harun al Rashid (786 -809), such books were translated into Arabic. Thus Khurasan and Transoxania were effectively bypassed in this transfer of learning from India to Islam, even though, undeniably the Barmakis cultural outlook owed something to their land of origin, northern Afghanistan, and Yahya al Barmaki's interest in medicine may have derived from no longer identifiable family tradition. In
7526-413: The organization to raise funds or to affect government policy. The British royal family are especially prolific in this respect, devoting a large proportion of their time to a wide range of causes. Sometimes consumers support smaller or local businesses or corporations out of loyalty even if less expensive options exist. Their regular custom is referred to as 'patronage'. Patronage may entitle members of
7632-416: The paper while he was editor. During the 1990s, Neil fronted political programmes for the BBC, including Despatch Box on BBC Two . Following the revamp of the BBC's political programming in early 2003, Neil presented the live political programmes, This Week on BBC One and Daily Politics on BBC Two. The latter ended in 2018 and was replaced by Politics Live , which Neil presented until he left
7738-460: The paper's editor, The Sunday Times had revealed the date of the deployment of cruise missiles, exposed how Mark Thatcher had channelled the gains from his consultancy business into a bank account and reported on Robert Mugabe 's atrocities in Matabeleland . Neil also printed extracts from Germaine Greer 's Sex and Destiny and from Francis Pym 's anti-Thatcher autobiography, as well as
7844-417: The parliamentary year also provide its members and guest speakers and writers with a forum for political debate. The Bow Group accepts applications for membership. It also accepts outside donations, sponsorship and advertising. The chairman of the Bow Group has been Ben Harris-Quinney since 2011. In 2015, he was disowned by four of the Bow Group's patrons and suspended from the Conservative Party. In 2016, he
7950-441: The patronage going on in Chicago politics was unlawful on the grounds of the first and fourteenth amendments. Through a series of legal battles and negotiations, the two parties agreed upon The Shakman Decrees . Under these decrees, it was declared that the employment status of most public employees could not be affected positively or negatively based on political allegiance, with exceptions for politically inclined positions. The case
8056-414: The poll tax, concluding that she had become an "electoral liability" and must therefore be replaced by Heseltine. In an editorial of January 1988 ("Modernize the monarchy"), Neil advocated the abolition of both the preference for males in the law of succession and of the exclusion of Catholics from the throne. Subsequent editorials of The Sunday Times called for the Queen to pay income tax and advocated
8162-522: The president. Similarly, at the state and local levels, governors and mayors retain appointments powers. Some scholars have argued that patronage may be used for laudable purposes, such as the "recognition" of minority communities through the appointment of their members to a high-profile position. Bearfield has argued that patronage be used for four general purposes: create or strengthen a political organization; achieve democratic or egalitarian goals; bridge political divisions and create coalitions, and to alter
8268-476: The pressing problems of the day. In keeping with this trend, it was The Bow Group which promoted the idea of a World Refugee Year in the late 1950s. In the 1960s, the group attracted significant controversy in Conservative circles over its support for Kenyan independence . In the 1970s and early 1980s, the group was closely associated with the development of post-Keynesian economics and government policy for
8374-786: The public service to hire an unqualified family member or friend. Political patronage, also known as " padrino system ", has been the source of many controversies and corruption . It has been an open secret that one cannot join the political arena of the Philippines without mastery of the padrino system. From the lowest barangay official to the President of the Republic , it is expected that one gains political debts and dispenses political favor to advance one's career or gain influence, if not wealth. After Soviet leader Vladimir Lenin 's retirement from politics in March 1923 following
8480-556: The right of bestowing offices or church benefices , the business given to a store by a regular customer, and the guardianship of saints . The word patron derives from the Latin patronus ('patron'), one who gives benefits to his clients (see patronage in ancient Rome ). In some countries the term is used to describe political patronage or patronal politics , which is the use of state resources to reward individuals for their electoral support. Some patronage systems are legal, as in
8586-474: The right on industrial policy (trust-bust, deregulate, privatise wherever it produces more competition and efficiency) and centre-left in economic strategy (a few billion extra in capital spending would have little impact on interest rates or inflation but could give a lift to a shaky economic recovery)". The Sunday Times strongly supported the stationing of American cruise missiles in bases in Britain after
8692-578: The same manner as commercial patronage, those who attend a sporting event may be referred to as patrons, though the usage in much of the world is now considered archaic—with some notable exceptions. Those who attend the Masters Tournament , one of the four major championships of professional golf , are still traditionally referred to as "patrons," largely at the insistence of the Augusta National Golf Club . This insistence
8798-566: The secretary of state for Scotland, Malcolm Rifkind , indifferent to the school's future, Neil contacted Margaret Thatcher's policy adviser, Brian Griffiths , to try and save the school. When Griffiths informed Thatcher of Strathclyde's plan to close it she issued a new regulation that gave the Scottish secretary the power to save schools where 80 per cent of the parents were opposed to the local authority's closure plan, thereby saving Paisley Grammar. While at The Sunday Times in 1988, Neil met
8904-423: The support of noble or ecclesiastical patrons. Figures as late as Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Ludwig van Beethoven also participated in the system to some degree; it was only with the rise of bourgeois and capitalist social forms in the middle 19th century that European culture moved away from its patronage system to the more publicly supported system of museums, theaters, mass audiences and mass consumption that
9010-446: The system was designed to maintain an inexpensive, subservient labor force, which could be utilized to limit production costs and allow wealth and its privileges to be monopolized by a small elite. Long after slavery , and other forms of bondage like the encomienda and repartimiento systems were abolished, patronage was used to maintain rigid class structures. With the rise of a labor class, traditional patronage changed in
9116-447: The traditional Southeast Asian kingdoms, and elsewhere—art patronage tended to arise wherever a royal or imperial system and an aristocracy dominated a society and controlled a significant share of resources. Samuel Johnson defined a patron as "one who looks with unconcern on a man struggling for life in the water, and, when he has reached ground, encumbers him with help". Rulers, nobles, and very wealthy people used patronage of
9222-514: The values of conservatism by voting UK Independence Party (UKIP) where Conservative Party candidates could not win, and the Conservatives where UKIP could not win. However, this suggestion of tactical voting was opposed by Bow Group patrons Lords Heseltine , Howard and Lamont , in a joint statement. In 2015, Lord Tebbit was appointed as the Bow Group's President, replacing Sir John Major who had stepped down in 2014. The Bow Group
9328-591: Was a prostitute. He apparently did not know about Bordes, which the Telegraph had accepted by the time the libel case came to High Court of Justice in January 1990, but the paper still defended their coverage as fair comment . Neil won both the case and £1,000 in damages plus costs. In a July 1988 editorial ("Morals for the majority") Neil said that in Britain there were emerging pockets of social decay and unsocial behaviour: "a social rot...has gone deeper than
9434-455: Was a supporter of Brexit and worked with both pro-Brexit campaigns to support Britain's exit from the EU. In 2016, long-standing member Heseltine was removed from the organisation on the basis that he did not support conservative ideals. He was criticised by the group's then-President, Lord Tebbit, for being a "backstabber" and betraying Britain in favour of the European Union. In March 2012,
9540-611: Was a vocal and enthusiastic proponent of British military involvement in Afghanistan . Neil derided those who opposed the war as "wimps with no will to fight", while labelling The Guardian as The Daily Terrorist and the New Statesman as the New Taliban for publishing dissenting opinions about the wisdom of British military involvement. For questioning whether "Bush and Blair are leading us deeper and deeper into
9646-489: Was accused by Andrew Neil on BBC's Daily Politics show of being a " Walter Mitty figure" and dismissed by Lord Heseltine as being "of no account". The commentator Iain Dale has accused him of having turned the Bow Group into an "impotent and irrelevant vehicle for Harris-Quinney to seek airtime for himself". The Bow Group was founded by a group of students with the aim of providing an effective counter to socialism and
9752-424: Was also in discussions with executives from commercial rivals. Neil's final appearance for the BBC was when he presented coverage of the 2020 US presidential election , again with Katty Kay. On 25 September 2020, Neil announced his exit from the BBC to become chairman of GB News , a news channel launched on 13 June 2021. As well as being chairman, he presented Andrew Neil , a prime time evening programme on
9858-457: Was beginning to suffer from embarrassing breakdowns. Acquiring BSB's healthier advertising contracts and equipment apparently solved the problems. BSkyB would not make a profit for a decade but by July 2010, it was one of the most profitable television companies in Europe. At The Sunday Times , he contributed to BBC, both radio and television. He commented on the various controversies provoked by
9964-527: Was being significantly under-valued by the Government in its flotation by over £1 billion, which proved to be accurate. In April 2014 Priti Patel , writing in the Bow Group's Crossbow magazine, called for the coalition to come to an end stating that the country wanted to see "more Conservative policies", and with growth figures of 2.7% the reasons for the existence of the Coalition Government had "effectively expired". These calls were echoed by
10070-636: Was chairman of the Federation of Conservative Students . He graduated in 1971, with an MA with honours in political economy and political science. He had been tutored by Vince Cable and had a focus on American history . After his graduation, Neil briefly worked as a sports correspondent for a local newspaper, the Paisley Daily Express , before working for the Conservative Party . In 1973, he joined The Economist as
10176-412: Was chief executive and editor-in-chief of Press Holdings Media Group . In 1988, he became founding chairman of Sky TV , also part of Murdoch's News Corporation . He worked for the BBC for 25 years until 2020, fronting various programmes, including Sunday Politics and This Week on BBC One and Daily Politics , Politics Live and The Andrew Neil Show on BBC Two . From 2008 until 2024 he
10282-436: Was further reported that he was "highly unlikely" to return to the channel. On 13 September 2021, Neil resigned from GB News as chairman and lead presenter and announced he would enter a new role as a guest contributor. Later that month, on the BBC's Question Time , he said that he had left his roles at GB News over the direction the channel was taking, and that he had become a "minority of one" within senior management. It
10388-489: Was instrumental in the company's launch, overseeing the transformation of a downmarket, single-channel satellite service into a four-channel network in less than a year. Neil and Murdoch stood side by side at Sky's new headquarters in Isleworth on 5 February 1989 to witness the launch of the service. Sky was not an instant success; the uncertainty caused by the competition provided by British Satellite Broadcasting (BSB) and
10494-596: Was officially reported in 1994 as being merely temporary, as he was to present and edit a current affairs programme for Fox in New York. "During my time, the Sunday Times has been at the centre of every major controversy in Britain", he said at the time. "These are the kind of journalistic values I want to reproduce at Fox". Neil's new television programme did not make it to air. A pilot produced in September had
10600-468: Was one of a handful of newspapers, perhaps the most prominent, which argued that heterosexual Aids was a myth. The figures are now in and this newspaper stands totally vindicated... The history of Aids is one of the great scandals of our time. I do not blame doctors and the Aids lobby for warning that everybody might be at risk in the early days, when ignorance was rife and reliable evidence scant." He criticised
10706-783: Was perceived as ill-gotten through usury . Art patronage was especially important in the creation of religious art . The Roman Catholic Church and later Protestant groups sponsored art and architecture , as seen in churches , cathedrals , painting , sculpture and handicrafts . While sponsorship of artists and the commissioning of artwork is the best-known aspect of the patronage system, other disciplines also benefited from patronage, including those who studied natural philosophy ( pre-modern science ), musicians , writers , philosophers , alchemists , astrologers , and other scholars . Artists as diverse and important as Chrétien de Troyes , Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo , William Shakespeare , and Ben Jonson all sought and enjoyed
10812-413: Was real and needed to be confronted. He criticised protests by Extinction Rebellion on Remembrance Day , stating: "I've interviewed Extinction Rebellion on several occasions and most of what they say is total nonsense or total exaggeration." During Neil's time as editor, The Sunday Times backed a campaign to falsely claim that HIV was not a cause of AIDS . In 1990, The Sunday Times serialised
10918-407: Was reported that these remarks had angered GB News bosses and that Neil would not be appearing on GB News again. On 22 September, Neil said he would not return to GB News. Neil later described his decision to lead the channel as the "single biggest mistake" of his career, comparing the channel to Fox News . In January 2022, it was reported that Neil was in talks with Channel 4 about presenting
11024-573: Was the Queen's press secretary, Michael Shea . When Buckingham Palace issued a statement rebutting the story, Neil was so angry at what he considered to be the Palace's double-dealing that he refused to print the statement in later editions of The Sunday Times . In 1987, the Labour-controlled Strathclyde Regional Authority wanted to close down Neil's old school, Paisley Grammar School. After finding
11130-418: Was the chairman of Press Holdings, whose titles include The Spectator , and ITP Media Group . Following his departure from the BBC, he became founding chairman of GB News and a presenter on the channel, but resigned in September 2021. He later joined Channel 4 in 2022 as presenter of The Andrew Neil Show , which shared the same name as his former BBC Two programme. In June 2024 he additionally began hosting
11236-453: Was trying to make a "quick buck... off of the fact that I'm popular and no one has ever heard of you", before Shapiro ended the interview. Shapiro later apologised for the incident. During the 2019 Conservative Party leadership election , Neil interviewed candidates Jeremy Hunt and Boris Johnson , in The Andrew Neil Interviews. Director of BBC News Fran Unsworth hailed it as "a masterclass of political interviewing". In August 2019,
#300699