Londoner's Diary: Tariq Ali is the latest Labourite to have a go at Ed

 
Family ties: activist Tariq Ali was a close friend of Ed Miliband’s father, Ralph (Picture: Michael Thomas)
23 January 2015

Poor Ed Miliband — there’s no more vicious critic than a former friend, and Ed seems to have a knack for alienating his. First the Labour leader was mocked by former ally and New Statesman editor Jason Cowley for being “a Hampstead socialist”, who “doesn’t really understand the lower middle-class”. Now Tariq Ali, one of the old-school north London socialists, says Ed has betrayed the party’s core principles.

The 71-year-old writer and activist — who was close friend of Ed’s late father, the Marxist academic Ralph Miliband — once accused the Tory press of being “so paranoid about Edward that they are going to hurl everything at him”. Now it’s Ali’s turn to do the hurling.

In his new book, The Extreme Centre, published next month by Verso, Ali accused Ed of being a “jittery and indecisive figure, over-dependent on focus groups and spin, presiding over a parliamentary party (including his shadow chancellor) that remains solidly Thatcherite in inspiration”.

Ali spends the book’s final chapter trying to envisage a new world order in which politicians are not power-grabbing hypocrites, “immured in exclusive bunkers”. Strangely enough, it’s not a utopia that features either of the two Miliband boys he watched growing-up. Indeed, Miliband only gets three mentions in the book.

Ali’s book quivers with feeling for the masses. “The large majority of us share, in varying degrees, a new collective experience: unemployment, household debt [and] homelessness,” writes Left-wing firebrand who, last we heard, was living in style on the ground floor of a Highgate mansion.

Phillips is no longer a haggis virgin

As a warm-up to Burns Night on Sunday, Boisdale of Bishopsgate hosted a dinner with a guest of honour: Stanley Phillips, the US Embassy’s councillor for Agricultural Affairs. The US has banned the import of haggis since the Seventies. “I’m glad to say I’m no longer a haggis virgin,” said Phillips as he tucked in. “But did you like it?” diners enquired. “It was,” Phillips paused, “interesting ... When I’m posted somewhere new I like to try the local cuisine.” The Londoner offered to take him to the East End for jellied eels. “Jellied ... eels?” he spluttered.

Icy encounter over the caviar in Davos

Snowfall is limited at Davos but the reception is frosty. A pal of The Londoner saw George Osborne and Nat Rothschild at a party thrown by Wikipedia’s Jimmy Wales. Back in 2008, financier Rothschild claimed in an open letter to The Times the Chancellor had used Rothschild’s hospitality to gain access to tycoon Oleg Deripaska’s yacht in Corfu that summer — the Tories denied this.

Back in Davos: “Seeing Osborne, Nat sidled up to him,” our source explains, “but Osborne’s response was somewhat damp.” Rothschild looked around, saw a mountain of sturgeons’ eggs, and exclaimed: “Fantastic, caviar!” and then, with disgust, “it’s fake” — it was actually a promo display. Poor Nat.

A Korea opportunity, indeed

The Londoner is used to meeting multi-talented individuals but we’ve outdone ourselves by dining with chef Judy Joo, who opened Korean restaurant Jinjuu in Soho last night with a dinner attended by models Arizona Muse and Julia Restoin Roitfeld. Joo has always had a taste for flavours but cooking was her way out of a lucrative career in finance at both Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley. “I’m a bit crazy to do this,” she admitted, “because you’re essentially downgrading your life: I work longer hours now for a fraction of the money that I used to get paid.

Tucking in: Arizona Muse and Julia Restoin Roitfeld (Picture: Dave Benett)
Dave Benett

“But I didn’t love the market. I couldn’t tap into the part of my mind that should be captivated by bonds and derivatives and credit. Calculating convexity and duration wasn’t really my cup of tea.” Judging by the mountains of food we consumed, the City’s loss is fine dining’s gain — although we do wish we knew what convexity and duration meant.

Another Old Etonian?

Earlier this week we noted that there would be six Old Etonians standing for election in London’s 73 seats in May. Incumbents Zac Goldsmith, Nick Hurd and Jo Johnson are joined by three more potential MPs — Boris Johnson, Matthew Maxwell Scott and Bim Afolami.

Now it looks like we’ve underestimated the school. A reader gets in touch to say that the Conservative candidate for Hammersmith, Charlie Dewhirst, is also an alumnus. Are there any more hiding in the shadows?

Cheers as ZMB grabs Economist hot seat

Long live the new queen of financial journalism! A huge cheer went up in the Economist’s offices in Mayfair yesterday as Zanny Minton Beddoes, pictured, was announced as the new editor of the 172-year-old newspaper. The former business affairs editor takes over from John Micklethwait to become the publication’s first female leader.

Beddoes previously covered Washington DC, where she polished her TV skills as well as her Rolodex of US contacts. “She has a huge intellect and thinks quickly on her feet,” says our insider. “She has a cool head in tight spots and reacts well under pressure.”

Another spy adds: “She goes out of her way to make younger colleagues feel valued — but she’ll challenge you on something you say in a meeting and wins every argument she goes into.”

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