Peter Cuthbertson

Public affairs professional and Westminster campaigner | Peter Cuthbertson on Facebook | Peter Cuthbertson on LinkedIn | Peter Cuthbertson on Twitter

Columns and blog posts on UK politics

My review of How to Use Politicians to Get What You Want by Scott Colvin (ConservativeHome)
My review of Tony Blair's memoirs (ConservativeHome)
The economies to regulate most will recover least (ConservativeHome)
A response to the financial crisis
In Hobbesian Britain, carrying a knife is often rational (ConservativeHome)
Nick Clegg's creationism (ConservativeHome)
Believing people are intrinsically good is unscientific and makes for bad policy
On the left-liberal blogosphere (ConservativeHome)
The left has some great blogs that explore ideas in detail and think there are good faith arguments worth having, arguing and debating the direction of the left itself. Nonetheless, the lack of introspection on some of the most prominent left-liberal blogs, and the obsession with demonising conservatives, is unmatched on the right
The policies that brought about Baby P's life and death (ConservativeHome)
Who wants a comatose House of Commons? (ConservativeHome)
John Bercow's zeal risks choking real debate
The feebleness of the criticisms of the Centre for Social Justice show the strengths of its arguments (ConservativeHome)
Peter Cuthbertson's guide to political spread-betting (PoliticalBetting)

Columns on international affairs and foreign policy

Understanding Russia’s Post-Cold War Foreign Policy Towards the EU and USA (eInternational Relations)
Conservatives shouldn’t welcome President Hillary Rodham Clinton (BritainAndAmerica)
Two Americas, Indeed (TCS Daily)
Irony Lady (TCS Daily)
Polish Pawn in Missile Defence Chess Game (TCS Daily)
Comeback - David Frum (ConservativeHome)
Grand New Party traces the Republicans' path to recovery (Britain and America)
Why the Left Wants Britain's Nuclear Power Status to Fade (Human Events)
Is Britain at Last Facing Up to Domestic Islamist Threat? (Human Events)
After Blair: President Bush might not like the man waiting in the wings (National Review)

Books

In 2011 I wrote a chapter for The Prime Ministers Who Never Were, a series of alternative histories edited by Francis Beckett. In this chapter, Margaret Thatcher resigns as Prime Minister in May 1989 in order to secure her chosen successor. The course of The Maastricht Treaty, the Exchange Rate Mechanism and the Ulster Peace Process are radically affected.

I have also contributed to the following:

Misc
In July 2002, I started Conservative Commentary, one of the first political blogs in the UK, which went on to be covered in the Guardian and the Spectator. The archive of that blog is still online.

I now write chiefly for ConservativeHome, on the Comment blog. My archive of posts for CentreRight is also online.

Defamation: Why does a left-wing activist say you are an "ignorant lying brat"?

Defamation: Why does a left-wing activist say you are an "ignorant lying brat"?

Short answer: Being civil and mature towards others is no guarantee others will be civil and mature towards you!

Longer answer: I am asked this question occasionally from people who have Googled me. In the early days of blogging, there was an extremely civil tone of debate and discussion, and as a conservative I especially valued the good relationship I built with many bloggers on the left, with lots of polite and thoughtful disagreement on both sides. I went to more than one blogger drinks event hosted by lefties.

The only real exception to this that I encountered is the author of this site. Back in 2003 I quoted a Spectator article that he disliked and he left comments expressing that view, which was fine. What was not fine was his stealing pages from my web site. I banned him from leaving future comments and he set up a page falsely accusing me of deleting his comments because I disagreed with him, of believing in conspiracy theories and of saying Chile's Pinochet was an "alright bloke". Any who knows me or my site well will know these claims to be untrue, but for the record: I don't believe in conspiracy theories; I actually said in the post title that Pinochet proved that bad men can be good allies; and the accusation I deleted comments because I disagreed with them would be laughable to anyone who saw how broad a range of views was exchanged in the comments to my site (which I would never have had time to censor for 'correct' opinions anyway).

Most people tell me that the post in question discredits only the author - and I hope anyone who sees it who doesn't know me will not assume it's truthful or that I am somehow guilty by association with such immaturity.