Daniel Finkelstein
Encyclopedia
Daniel Finkelstein OBE
(born 30 August 1962) is a British
journalist
and former politician
. He is the Executive Editor of The Times
, where he's also Chief Leader Writer and a weekly political columnist.
, where he studied economics & politics. He is a grandson of Alfred Wiener
, a notable Jewish activist and founder of the renowned Wiener Library
. He is the brother of Anthony Finkelstein
, Dean of the UCL Faculty of Engineering Sciences
at University College London
. His father Ludwik Finkelstein OBE was a Professor Emeritus of Measurement and Instrumentation.
, becoming Chair of the Young Social Democrats
on the defection of his predecessor Keith Toussaint to the Conservative Party
during the 1983 general election campaign. Subsequently he was elected youth representative on its National Committee, a Parliamentary candidate
(Brent East 1987
) and a close ally and adviser to David Owen
, the SDP leader. When merger with the Liberal Party
was proposed, Finkelstein was one of the leading opponents and refused to join the merged party. After Owen had announced his resignation from politics, Finkelstein was the spokesman for a group of young SDP members who joined the Conservative Party
.
Before working for the Conservative Party, Daniel Finkelstein was Director of the think tank the Social Market Foundation
for three years. During his period with the SMF the organisation brought New York police commissioner Bill Bratton
to London, for the first time introducing UK politicians to the successful new strategies being used there.
and in that capacity advised Prime Minister John Major and attended meetings of the Cabinet
when it sat in political session. Finkelstein became among the earliest advocates of the 'modernisation' of the Conservative Party, laying out the principles of change in a series of Times columns and speeches.
Between 1997 and 2001 he was political adviser to the Leader of the Opposition William Hague
, and, together with George Osborne
, Secretary to the Shadow Cabinet
.
In the 2001 election
Finkelstein was the unsuccessful Conservative parliamentary candidate in Harrow West.
, Britain's first internet and data communications newspaper. Finkelstein joined The Times
in August 2001 as part of the leader writing team and was Comment Editor from March 2004 - June 2008. He became Chief Leader Writer in June 2008. He began The Times blog
Comment Central in September 2006. He is also a regular columnist in The Jewish Chronicle
. His weekly football statistics column, the Fink Tank, began in 2002 and runs in The Times on Saturdays.
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
(born 30 August 1962) is a British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
and former politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
. He is the Executive Editor of The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
, where he's also Chief Leader Writer and a weekly political columnist.
Background
Daniel Finkelstein graduated from the London School of EconomicsLondon School of Economics
The London School of Economics and Political Science is a public research university specialised in the social sciences located in London, United Kingdom, and a constituent college of the federal University of London...
, where he studied economics & politics. He is a grandson of Alfred Wiener
Alfred Wiener
Alfred Wiener was a German Jew, who dedicated much of his life to documenting antisemitism and racism in Germany and Europe, and uncovering crimes of Germany's Nazi government...
, a notable Jewish activist and founder of the renowned Wiener Library
Wiener Library
The Wiener Library is the world's oldest institution devoted to the study of the Holocaust, its causes and legacies. Founded in 1933 as an information bureau that informed Jewish communities and governments worldwide about the persecution of the Jews under the Nazis, it was transformed into a...
. He is the brother of Anthony Finkelstein
Anthony Finkelstein
Anthony Finkelstein is a British software engineer. He is Professor of Software Systems Engineering at University College London and Dean of the UCL Faculty of Engineering Sciences. He is a Visiting Professor at Imperial College London and at the National Institute of Informatics, Tokyo, Japan...
, Dean of the UCL Faculty of Engineering Sciences
UCL Faculty of Engineering Sciences
The UCL Faculty of Engineering Sciences is one of the 10 constituent faculties of University College London . The Faculty, the UCL Faculty of Mathematical and Physical Sciences and the UCL Faculty of the Built Envirornment together form the UCL School of the Built Environment, Engineering and...
at University College London
University College London
University College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and the oldest and largest constituent college of the federal University of London...
. His father Ludwik Finkelstein OBE was a Professor Emeritus of Measurement and Instrumentation.
Political career
Between 1981 and 1990 Daniel Finkelstein was a member of the SDPSocial Democratic Party (UK)
The Social Democratic Party was a political party in the United Kingdom that was created on 26 March 1981 and existed until 1988. It was founded by four senior Labour Party 'moderates', dubbed the 'Gang of Four': Roy Jenkins, David Owen, Bill Rodgers and Shirley Williams...
, becoming Chair of the Young Social Democrats
Young Social Democrats
Young Social Democrats may refer to the name of more than one political youth organization:* Young Social Democrats in the USA* Young Social Democrats in the Czech Republic* Young Social Democrats in Estonia...
on the defection of his predecessor Keith Toussaint to the Conservative Party
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
during the 1983 general election campaign. Subsequently he was elected youth representative on its National Committee, a Parliamentary candidate
Prospective parliamentary candidate
Prospective parliamentary candidate is a term used in British politics to refer to candidates selected by political parties to fight individual constituencies in advance of a general election. This terminology was motivated by the strict limits on the amount of expenses incurred by an actual...
(Brent East 1987
United Kingdom general election, 1987
The United Kingdom general election of 1987 was held on 11 June 1987, to elect 650 members to the British House of Commons. The election was the third consecutive election victory for the Conservative Party under the leadership of Margaret Thatcher, who became the first Prime Minister since the 2nd...
) and a close ally and adviser to David Owen
David Owen
David Anthony Llewellyn Owen, Baron Owen CH PC FRCP is a British politician.Owen served as British Foreign Secretary from 1977 to 1979, the youngest person in over forty years to hold the post; he co-authored the failed Vance-Owen and Owen-Stoltenberg peace plans offered during the Bosnian War...
, the SDP leader. When merger with the Liberal Party
Liberal Party (UK)
The Liberal Party was one of the two major political parties of the United Kingdom during the 19th and early 20th centuries. It was a third party of negligible importance throughout the latter half of the 20th Century, before merging with the Social Democratic Party in 1988 to form the present day...
was proposed, Finkelstein was one of the leading opponents and refused to join the merged party. After Owen had announced his resignation from politics, Finkelstein was the spokesman for a group of young SDP members who joined the Conservative Party
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
.
Before working for the Conservative Party, Daniel Finkelstein was Director of the think tank the Social Market Foundation
Social Market Foundation
The Social Market Foundation is a British public policy think-tank based in Westminster, London. It was set up by supporters of David Owen after the Social Democratic Party was disbanded in the late 1980s. It aims to promote and produce policies supporting the “social market”...
for three years. During his period with the SMF the organisation brought New York police commissioner Bill Bratton
William J. Bratton
William Joseph "Bill" Bratton CBE is an American law enforcement officer who served as the chief of police of the Los Angeles Police Department , New York City Police Commissioner, and Boston Police Commissioner....
to London, for the first time introducing UK politicians to the successful new strategies being used there.
Conservative Party
Between 1995 and 1997 Finkelstein was Director of the Conservative Research DepartmentConservative Research Department
The Conservative Research Department is part of the central organisation of the Conservative Party of the United Kingdom. It operates alongside other departments of Conservative Campaign Headquarters at 30 Millbank, London SW1....
and in that capacity advised Prime Minister John Major and attended meetings of the Cabinet
Cabinet of the United Kingdom
The Cabinet of the United Kingdom is the collective decision-making body of Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom, composed of the Prime Minister and some 22 Cabinet Ministers, the most senior of the government ministers....
when it sat in political session. Finkelstein became among the earliest advocates of the 'modernisation' of the Conservative Party, laying out the principles of change in a series of Times columns and speeches.
Between 1997 and 2001 he was political adviser to the Leader of the Opposition William Hague
William Hague
William Jefferson Hague is the British Foreign Secretary and First Secretary of State. He served as Leader of the Conservative Party from June 1997 to September 2001...
, and, together with George Osborne
George Osborne
George Gideon Oliver Osborne, MP is a British Conservative politician. He is the Chancellor of the Exchequer of the United Kingdom, a role to which he was appointed in May 2010, and has been the Member of Parliament for Tatton since 2001.Osborne is part of the old Anglo-Irish aristocracy, known in...
, Secretary to the Shadow Cabinet
Shadow Cabinet
The Shadow Cabinet is a senior group of opposition spokespeople in the Westminster system of government who together under the leadership of the Leader of the Opposition form an alternative cabinet to the government's, whose members shadow or mark each individual member of the government...
.
In the 2001 election
United Kingdom general election, 2001
The United Kingdom general election, 2001 was held on Thursday 7 June 2001 to elect 659 members to the British House of Commons. It was dubbed "the quiet landslide" by the media, as the Labour Party was re-elected with another landslide result and only suffered a net loss of 6 seats...
Finkelstein was the unsuccessful Conservative parliamentary candidate in Harrow West.
Journalism
Between 1990 and 1992 he was the editor of ConnexionConnexion
Connexion or Connexions may refer to:* Connexionalism, a system of ecclesiastical polity* Connexion by Boeing, an in-flight online connectivity service* PhyQuest Connexion, a risk-reduction reporting system...
, Britain's first internet and data communications newspaper. Finkelstein joined The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
in August 2001 as part of the leader writing team and was Comment Editor from March 2004 - June 2008. He became Chief Leader Writer in June 2008. He began The Times blog
Blog
A blog is a type of website or part of a website supposed to be updated with new content from time to time. Blogs are usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in...
Comment Central in September 2006. He is also a regular columnist in The Jewish Chronicle
The Jewish Chronicle
The Jewish Chronicle is a London-based Jewish newspaper. Founded in 1841, it is the oldest continuously published Jewish newspaper in the world.-Publication data and readership figures:...
. His weekly football statistics column, the Fink Tank, began in 2002 and runs in The Times on Saturdays.
Awards
Finkelstein was awarded the OBE in the 1997 honours list.External links
- Articles by Daniel Finkelstein Journalisted
- Opinion - Daniel Finkelstein Times Online
- Daniel Finkelstein Twitter