Louise Bagshawe
Encyclopedia
Louise Daphne Mensch is an English author and Conservative Party
politician. She is the Member of Parliament
(MP) for Corby
, having won the seat at the 2010 general election. She is also an author of "chick lit
" fiction, writing under her maiden name.
in 1971, the daughter of Nicholas Wilfrid Bagshawe and Daphne Margaret née Triggs. Her father comes from a family of Catholic gentry; his grandfather was the marine artist Joseph Richard Bagshawe
, who was himself grandson of one of the 19th century's most renowned marine artists Clarkson Stanfield, and a nephew of the Most Rev. Edward Gilpin Bagshawe
D.D., Catholic Bishop of Nottingham
. Her paternal grandmother Mary Frideswide was the daughter of Charles Robertson, KSG
, a stockbroker and benefactor of St Philip's Priory, Begbroke
and one of the co-founders of Westminster Cathedral
.
Her family moved to the country when she was seven. She was educated at Sacred Heart School
, Tunbridge Wells, and Woldingham School
, a Catholic girls' boarding school in Surrey, and was named "Young Poet of the Year" in 1989 at the age of 18. After reading English literature
at Christ Church, Oxford
, and following a six month internship at MTV Europe Mensch worked as a press officer with EMI Records
(a position from which she was formally dismissed), and then a marketing official with Sony
.
Her first novel, Career Girls, was published in 1995 and has been followed by 13 subsequent works in the "chick lit
" genre aimed at young women. She has defended chick-lit against allegations, specifically by psychologist
Susan Quilliam
, that the books cause irrationally high expectations which "ruin readers' lives" by saying that such books merely make readers raise their standards.
, after being inspired by then-Prime Minister
Margaret Thatcher
, but in 1996 she briefly switched to Tony Blair
's Labour Party
saying she believed him to be "socially liberal but an economic Tory
". By 1997 she had returned to the Conservatives and helped her mother, Daphne, win a seat in East Sussex County Council from the Liberal Democrats
. In 2001, Mensch co-founded the Oxonian Society with Joseph Pascal and HRH Princess Badiya bint El Hassan
of Jordan.
, from the socially conservative Cornerstone Group
of Tory MPs, as favouring "minor celebrities", such as Mensch, over local candidates when selecting prospective parliamentary candidate
s. In October 2006 she was selected to stand in Corby
. As part of her campaigning for the 2010 election, she appeared on Question Time
and BBC One's The Big Questions
. She believes the foxhunting ban
should be repealed on civil liberties grounds and that it was also a waste of Parliamentary time.
In the 2010 general election Mensch won the seat of Corby
with a majority of 1,951, defeating Labour incumbent Phil Hope
, and in June 2010 she was elected by other Conservative MPs to serve on the Select Committee for the Department of Culture, Media and Sport.
She was a guest on Have I Got News for You
on 22 April 2011. Her contribution was briefly censored because she alluded to the identity of a footballer involved in a super-injunction case.
On 19 July 2011, in the House of Commons Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee, Mensch took part in the questioning of James
and Rupert Murdoch
over the News of the World
phone hacking scandal.
Political blogger Bagehot in the The Economist
whilst admitting he had not previously been impressed named Mensch as the "surprise star" of the hearing saying her "sharp, precise, coolly scornful questions" contrasted with her "waffling, pompous" fellow committee members. Mensch later faced criticism for incorrectly claiming during the committee that Piers Morgan
had written in his autobiography about conducting phone hacking while he was the editor of the Daily Mirror. When challenged on CNN by Morgan, Mensch cited the protection of parliamentary privilege
and refused to withdraw the allegation. However, she also refused to repeat it outside parliament, as it would leave her vulnerable to unlimited civil damages from Morgan. She later apologised to Morgan, admitting that she had misread a newspaper report about the book.
Three days after Mensch put questions to James and Rupert Murdoch at the Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee, she received an email alleging that she had taken a controlled substance
with Nigel Kennedy
at Ronnie Scott's club in Birmingham
in the 1990s while working as a press officer for the EMI record company. Mensch publicly released the email and admitted the allegations were "highly probable", but said she would not be deterred from asking further questions about phone hacking.
She has also criticised media outlets for repeated questions about whether she has had plastic surgery.
Following the 2011 England riots
Mensch called for social media services Twitter
and Facebook
to be shut down or to "take an hour off" during disturbances to stop the spread of false rumours wasting police resources. She compared the action with brief interruptions to road and rail networks during emergencies. However other Twitter users compared such action to Iran and China whilst Sussex police said they had used Twitter to stop rumours.
In October 2011, Mensch tweeted that she was not in favour of a referendum on the UK's membership of the EU because she believed that it was unwinnable.
On 21 October 2011, Mensch appeared on BBC's Have I Got News For You
for the second time.
, Jimmy Page
and the Red Hot Chili Peppers
, in June 2011. She has three children from her previous marriage to property speculator Anthony LoCicero. She is the sister of Tilly Bagshawe
, a freelance
journalist
who published Adored in July 2005, and has a younger sister Alice and a brother, James.
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...
politician. She is the Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
(MP) for Corby
Corby (UK Parliament constituency)
Corby is a county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first-past-the-post voting system, and is currently a marginal seat between Labour and the Conservatives....
, having won the seat at the 2010 general election. She is also an author of "chick lit
Chick lit
Chick lit is genre fiction which addresses issues of modern womanhood, often humorously and lightheartedly. The genre sold well during the 1990s and 2000s, with chick lit titles topping bestseller lists and the creation of imprints devoted entirely to chick lit...
" fiction, writing under her maiden name.
Biography
Mensch was born in LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
in 1971, the daughter of Nicholas Wilfrid Bagshawe and Daphne Margaret née Triggs. Her father comes from a family of Catholic gentry; his grandfather was the marine artist Joseph Richard Bagshawe
Joseph Richard Bagshawe
Joseph John Richard Bagshawe was an English marine painter and member of the Staithes group.Born in London, he came from a prominent Catholic family, the second son of County Court Judge William Henry Gunning Bagshawe K.C. and his wife Harriet Teresa, daughter of the leading marine painter...
, who was himself grandson of one of the 19th century's most renowned marine artists Clarkson Stanfield, and a nephew of the Most Rev. Edward Gilpin Bagshawe
Edward Gilpin Bagshawe
Edward Gilpin Bagshawe was a Catholic Bishop of Nottingham.He attended University College School, London and then in 1838 entered St. Mary's College, Oscott. Upon graduation, he joined the London Oratory in 1849 and was ordained a priest in 1852...
D.D., Catholic Bishop of Nottingham
Bishop of Nottingham (Roman Catholic)
The Bishop of Nottingham is the Ordinary of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Nottingham in the Province of Westminster.The diocese covers an area of and spans the counties of Derbyshire , Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire and North Lincolnshire...
. Her paternal grandmother Mary Frideswide was the daughter of Charles Robertson, KSG
Order of St. Gregory the Great
The Pontifical Equestrian Order of St. Gregory the Great , was established on September 1, 1831, by Pope Gregory XVI, seven months after his election.It is one of the five orders of knighthood of the Holy See...
, a stockbroker and benefactor of St Philip's Priory, Begbroke
Begbroke
Begbroke is a village and civil parish in Oxfordshire about west of Kidlington and northwest of Oxford.The toponym "Begbroke" is Old English for "Little Brook". This refers to Rowel Brook which runs through the village and was the reason for its early settlement...
and one of the co-founders of Westminster Cathedral
Westminster Cathedral
Westminster Cathedral in London is the mother church of the Catholic community in England and Wales and the Metropolitan Church and Cathedral of the Archbishop of Westminster...
.
Her family moved to the country when she was seven. She was educated at Sacred Heart School
Beechwood Sacred Heart School
Beechwood Sacred Heart School is a co-educational independent school for boys and girls aged 3 – 18, which comprises a Nursery, Preparatory School and Senior School, with boarding for girls aged 11 – 18...
, Tunbridge Wells, and Woldingham School
Woldingham School
Woldingham School is an all-girls, independent, Roman Catholic, boarding and day school in Woldingham, Surrey, England.-History:The school was founded as the Convent of the Sacred Heart in 1842 in Berrymead, London by the Society of the Sacred Heart...
, a Catholic girls' boarding school in Surrey, and was named "Young Poet of the Year" in 1989 at the age of 18. After reading English literature
English literature
English literature is the literature written in the English language, including literature composed in English by writers not necessarily from England; for example, Robert Burns was Scottish, James Joyce was Irish, Joseph Conrad was Polish, Dylan Thomas was Welsh, Edgar Allan Poe was American, J....
at Christ Church, Oxford
Christ Church, Oxford
Christ Church or house of Christ, and thus sometimes known as The House), is one of the largest constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England...
, and following a six month internship at MTV Europe Mensch worked as a press officer with EMI Records
EMI Records
EMI Records is the flagship record label founded by the EMI company in 1972 and launched in January 1973 as the successor to its Columbia label. The EMI label was launched worldwide...
(a position from which she was formally dismissed), and then a marketing official with Sony
Sony Music Entertainment
Sony Music Entertainment ' is the second-largest global recorded music company of the "big four" record companies and is controlled by Sony Corporation of America, the United States subsidiary of Japan's Sony Corporation....
.
Her first novel, Career Girls, was published in 1995 and has been followed by 13 subsequent works in the "chick lit
Chick lit
Chick lit is genre fiction which addresses issues of modern womanhood, often humorously and lightheartedly. The genre sold well during the 1990s and 2000s, with chick lit titles topping bestseller lists and the creation of imprints devoted entirely to chick lit...
" genre aimed at young women. She has defended chick-lit against allegations, specifically by psychologist
Psychologist
Psychologist is a professional or academic title used by individuals who are either:* Clinical professionals who work with patients in a variety of therapeutic contexts .* Scientists conducting psychological research or teaching psychology in a college...
Susan Quilliam
Susan Quilliam
Susan Quilliam is an agony aunt and author noted for bringing systemic psychology to a mass audience. Her areas of expertise include: love, sex, personal psychology, medico-sexual psychology and body language...
, that the books cause irrationally high expectations which "ruin readers' lives" by saying that such books merely make readers raise their standards.
Politics
At the age of fourteen she had joined the Conservative PartyConservative 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...
, after being inspired by then-Prime Minister
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the Head of Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom. The Prime Minister and Cabinet are collectively accountable for their policies and actions to the Sovereign, to Parliament, to their political party and...
Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher, was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990...
, but in 1996 she briefly switched to Tony Blair
Tony Blair
Anthony Charles Lynton Blair is a former British Labour Party politician who served as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2 May 1997 to 27 June 2007. He was the Member of Parliament for Sedgefield from 1983 to 2007 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007...
's Labour Party
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
saying she believed him to be "socially liberal but an economic Tory
Tory
Toryism is a traditionalist and conservative political philosophy which grew out of the Cavalier faction in the Wars of the Three Kingdoms. It is a prominent ideology in the politics of the United Kingdom, but also features in parts of The Commonwealth, particularly in Canada...
". By 1997 she had returned to the Conservatives and helped her mother, Daphne, win a seat in East Sussex County Council from the Liberal Democrats
Liberal Democrats
The Liberal Democrats are a social liberal political party in the United Kingdom which supports constitutional and electoral reform, progressive taxation, wealth taxation, human rights laws, cultural liberalism, banking reform and civil liberties .The party was formed in 1988 by a merger of the...
. In 2001, Mensch co-founded the Oxonian Society with Joseph Pascal and HRH Princess Badiya bint El Hassan
Princess Badiya bint El Hassan
Princess Badiya bint El Hassan was born on March 28, 1974 in Amman, Jordan. Her father is Prince Hassan bin Talal and her mother is Princess Sarvath El Hassan.-Education:* Amman Baccalaureate School* Sherborne School for Girls...
of Jordan.
Political career
Mensch was placed on the A-List of Conservative candidates in 2006. This move was criticised by David BurrowesDavid Burrowes
David John Barrington Burrowes is a British politician. He is the Conservative Member of Parliament for Enfield Southgate, Parliamentary chairman of the Conservative Christian Fellowship, and an Officer of the Conservative Friends of Israel group.-Early life:David Burrowes was born in Cockfosters...
, from the socially conservative Cornerstone Group
Cornerstone Group
The Cornerstone Group is a socially conservative or traditional conservative political organisation within the British Conservative Party. The group emphasises traditional values, exemplified by the motto: Faith, Flag, and Family. It consists of Members of Parliament with a traditionalist stance,...
of Tory MPs, as favouring "minor celebrities", such as Mensch, over local candidates when selecting prospective 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...
s. In October 2006 she was selected to stand in Corby
Corby (UK Parliament constituency)
Corby is a county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first-past-the-post voting system, and is currently a marginal seat between Labour and the Conservatives....
. As part of her campaigning for the 2010 election, she appeared on Question Time
Question Time (TV series)
Question Time is a topical debate BBC television programme in the United Kingdom, based on Any Questions?. The show typically features politicians from at least the three major political parties as well as other public figures who answer questions put to them by the audience...
and BBC One's The Big Questions
The Big Questions
The Big Questions is a faith and ethics television programme usually presented by Nicky Campbell. It is currently broadcast live on BBC One between 10:00am and 11:00am on Sunday, replacing Heaven & Earth as the BBC's religious discussion programme....
. She believes the foxhunting ban
Hunting Act 2004
The Hunting Act 2004 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. The effect of the Act is to outlaw hunting with dogs in England and Wales from 18 February 2005...
should be repealed on civil liberties grounds and that it was also a waste of Parliamentary time.
In the 2010 general election Mensch won the seat of Corby
Corby (UK Parliament constituency)
Corby is a county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first-past-the-post voting system, and is currently a marginal seat between Labour and the Conservatives....
with a majority of 1,951, defeating Labour incumbent Phil Hope
Phil Hope
Philip Ian "Phil" Hope is a British Labour Co-operative politician who was the Member of Parliament for Corby from 1997 until 2010, when he lost his seat to the Conservatives. He held several ministerial roles during his time as an MP. Since his defeat, he is working as a consultant for Age...
, and in June 2010 she was elected by other Conservative MPs to serve on the Select Committee for the Department of Culture, Media and Sport.
She was a guest on Have I Got News for You
Have I Got News for You
Have I Got News for You is a British television panel show produced by Hat Trick Productions for the BBC. It is based loosely on the BBC Radio 4 show The News Quiz, and has been broadcast since 1990, currently the BBC's longest-ever running television panel show...
on 22 April 2011. Her contribution was briefly censored because she alluded to the identity of a footballer involved in a super-injunction case.
On 19 July 2011, in the House of Commons Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee, Mensch took part in the questioning of James
James Murdoch (media executive)
James Rupert Jacob Murdoch is the younger son of media mogul Rupert Murdoch and currently serves as chairman and chief executive of News Corporation, Europe, and Asia, overseeing assets such as News International , SKY Italia , Sky Deutschland, and STAR TV .He sits on the News...
and Rupert Murdoch
Rupert Murdoch
Keith Rupert Murdoch, AC, KSG is an Australian-American business magnate. He is the founder and Chairman and CEO of , the world's second-largest media conglomerate....
over the News of the World
News of the World
The News of the World was a national red top newspaper published in the United Kingdom from 1843 to 2011. It was at one time the biggest selling English language newspaper in the world, and at closure still had one of the highest English language circulations...
phone hacking scandal.
Political blogger Bagehot in the The Economist
The Economist
The Economist is an English-language weekly news and international affairs publication owned by The Economist Newspaper Ltd. and edited in offices in the City of Westminster, London, England. Continuous publication began under founder James Wilson in September 1843...
whilst admitting he had not previously been impressed named Mensch as the "surprise star" of the hearing saying her "sharp, precise, coolly scornful questions" contrasted with her "waffling, pompous" fellow committee members. Mensch later faced criticism for incorrectly claiming during the committee that Piers Morgan
Piers Morgan
Piers Stefan Pughe-Morgan , known professionally as Piers Morgan, is a British journalist and television presenter. He is editorial director of First News, a national newspaper for children....
had written in his autobiography about conducting phone hacking while he was the editor of the Daily Mirror. When challenged on CNN by Morgan, Mensch cited the protection of parliamentary privilege
Parliamentary privilege
Parliamentary privilege is a legal immunity enjoyed by members of certain legislatures, in which legislators are granted protection against civil or criminal liability for actions done or statements made related to one's duties as a legislator. It is common in countries whose constitutions are...
and refused to withdraw the allegation. However, she also refused to repeat it outside parliament, as it would leave her vulnerable to unlimited civil damages from Morgan. She later apologised to Morgan, admitting that she had misread a newspaper report about the book.
Three days after Mensch put questions to James and Rupert Murdoch at the Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee, she received an email alleging that she had taken a controlled substance
Controlled substance
A controlled substance is generally a drug or chemical whose manufacture, possession, or use are regulated by a government. This may include illegal drugs and prescription medications ....
with Nigel Kennedy
Nigel Kennedy
Nigel Kennedy is a British born violinist and violist. He made his early career in the classical field, and he has performed and recorded most of the major violin concerti...
at Ronnie Scott's club in Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
in the 1990s while working as a press officer for the EMI record company. Mensch publicly released the email and admitted the allegations were "highly probable", but said she would not be deterred from asking further questions about phone hacking.
She has also criticised media outlets for repeated questions about whether she has had plastic surgery.
Following the 2011 England riots
2011 England riots
Between 6 and 10 August 2011, several London boroughs and districts of cities and towns across England suffered widespread rioting, looting and arson....
Mensch called for social media services Twitter
Twitter
Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
and Facebook
Facebook
Facebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...
to be shut down or to "take an hour off" during disturbances to stop the spread of false rumours wasting police resources. She compared the action with brief interruptions to road and rail networks during emergencies. However other Twitter users compared such action to Iran and China whilst Sussex police said they had used Twitter to stop rumours.
In October 2011, Mensch tweeted that she was not in favour of a referendum on the UK's membership of the EU because she believed that it was unwinnable.
On 21 October 2011, Mensch appeared on BBC's Have I Got News For You
Have I Got News for You
Have I Got News for You is a British television panel show produced by Hat Trick Productions for the BBC. It is based loosely on the BBC Radio 4 show The News Quiz, and has been broadcast since 1990, currently the BBC's longest-ever running television panel show...
for the second time.
Personal life
Louise Bagshawe married Peter Mensch, the manager of MetallicaMetallica
Metallica is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 1981 when James Hetfield responded to an advertisement that drummer Lars Ulrich had posted in a local newspaper. The current line-up features long-time lead guitarist Kirk Hammett and bassist Robert Trujillo ...
, Jimmy Page
Jimmy Page
James Patrick "Jimmy" Page, OBE is an English multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, and record producer. He began his career as a studio session guitarist in London and was subsequently a member of The Yardbirds from 1966 to 1968, after which he founded the English rock band Led Zeppelin.Jimmy Page...
and the Red Hot Chili Peppers
Red Hot Chili Peppers
Red Hot Chili Peppers is an American rock band, formed in Los Angeles in 1983. The group's musical style primarily consists of rock with an emphasis on funk, as well as elements from other genres such as punk, hip hop and psychedelic rock...
, in June 2011. She has three children from her previous marriage to property speculator Anthony LoCicero. She is the sister of Tilly Bagshawe
Tilly Bagshawe
Tilly Bagshawe is a British freelance journalist and author.Bagshawe was born in Lambeth Hospital, London, the daughter of Nicholas Wilfrid Bagshawe & Daphne Margaret née Triggs . Educated at Woldingham School, Surrey, she went up to Cambridge University at the age of eighteen with her...
, a freelance
Freelancer
A freelancer, freelance worker, or freelance is somebody who is self-employed and is not committed to a particular employer long term. These workers are often represented by a company or an agency that resells their labor and that of others to its clients with or without project management and...
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...
who published Adored in July 2005, and has a younger sister Alice and a brother, James.
External links
- Louise Mensch MP official constituency website
- Articles authored as Louise Bagshawe at Journalisted
- Louise Bagshawe Books
- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k1lZK-Z_PW0Louise Mensch and Zoe Margolis debate SlutWalkSlutWalkThe SlutWalk protest marches began on April 3, 2011, in Toronto, Canada, and became a movement of rallies across the world. Participants protest against explaining or excusing rape by referring to any aspect of a woman's appearance...
] - Louise Mensch on BBC TV urges the Murdochs to appear before the committee
- Louise Mensch and Piers Morgan on Wolf Blitzer's The Situation Room (CNN)
- Louise Mensch interviewed by CNN's Richard Quest about her experience interviewing News Corp executives
- Louise Mensch: Chick-lit queen who shines at Westminster