Anthony Howard 1934-2010
Deaglán de Bréadún
Sorry to hear about the death of Anthony Howard, a leading British political journalist for the last half-century. He was an authoritative voice both in print and on the air. He edited the New Statesman when that magazine was must reading for anyone interested in political matters (it’s still pretty good, actually.)
Although clearly a man of the centre-left, you never felt he was pushing an agenda on you. He was a good role-model for journalists of my generation. He also proved that you don’t have to be handsome to be successful in journalism!
Here are some links to accounts of his long and varied career. He had a touch of class, and I don’t mean in the social sense of the word. Howard was well-educated and erudite but wore his learning lightly and expressed himself in clear, accessible language.
I am not surprised to read that he had friends on both sides of the House at Westminster. He was a true professional. Speaking in global terms: it is somewhat wearisome to see how journos with naked or semi-clothed political agendas, generally but not always on the hard right, dominate the scene today, but maybe it was ever thus.
