Paul Foot (journalist)
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Paul Mackintosh Foot (8 November 1937 – 18 July 2004) was a British
investigative journalist Investigative journalism is a form of journalism in which reporters deeply investigate a single topic of interest, such as serious crimes, political corruption, or corporate wrongdoing. An investigative journalist may spend months or years rese ...
, political campaigner, author, and long-time member of the Socialist Workers Party (SWP).


Early life and education

Foot was born in
Haifa Haifa ( he, חֵיפָה ' ; ar, حَيْفَا ') is the third-largest city in Israel—after Jerusalem and Tel Aviv—with a population of in . The city of Haifa forms part of the Haifa metropolitan area, the third-most populous metropol ...
during the British mandate. He was the son of Sir Hugh Foot (who was the last Governor of
Cyprus Cyprus ; tr, Kıbrıs (), officially the Republic of Cyprus,, , lit: Republic of Cyprus is an island country located south of the Anatolian Peninsula in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Its continental position is disputed; while it is geo ...
and Jamaica and, as Lord Caradon, the
Permanent Representative of the United Kingdom to the United Nations The Permanent Representative of the United Kingdom to the United Nations is the United Kingdom's foremost diplomatic representative to the United Nations, and in charge of the ''United Kingdom Mission to the United Nations'' (UKMIS). UK permanen ...
from 1964 to 1970) and the grandson of
Isaac Foot Isaac Foot (23 February 1880 – 13 December 1960) was a British Liberal politician and solicitor. Early life Isaac Foot was born in Plymouth, the son of a carpenter and undertaker who was also named Isaac Foot, and educated at Plymouth Publi ...
, who had been a
Liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * a supporter of liberalism ** Liberalism by country * an adherent of a Liberal Party * Liberalism (international relations) * Sexually liberal feminism * Social liberalism Arts, entertainment and m ...
MP. He was a nephew of
Michael Foot Michael Mackintosh Foot (23 July 19133 March 2010) was a British Labour Party politician who served as Labour Leader from 1980 to 1983. Foot began his career as a journalist on ''Tribune'' and the ''Evening Standard''. He co-wrote the 1940 p ...
, later
leader Leadership, both as a research area and as a practical skill, encompasses the ability of an individual, group or organization to "lead", influence or guide other individuals, teams, or entire organizations. The word "leadership" often gets vi ...
of the Labour Party,Obituary: Paul Foot
''The Economist'', 25 July 2004
with whom the younger Foot was close. He spent his youth at his uncle's house in Devon, in Italy with his grandmother and with his parents (who lived abroad) in Cyprus and Jamaica. He was sent to what he described as "a ludicrously snobbish preparatory school (
Ludgrove Ludgrove, or Ludgrave, or Ludgraves, was an estate and farm in Middlesex between Monken Hadley in the west and Cockfosters in the east in what is now north London. It was centered on Ludgrove Farm (the Blue House) near to Cockfosters. History The ...
) and an only slightly less absurd public school,
Shrewsbury Shrewsbury ( , also ) is a market town, civil parish, and the county town of Shropshire, England, on the River Severn, north-west of London; at the 2021 census, it had a population of 76,782. The town's name can be pronounced as either 'Sh ...
". Contemporaries at Shrewsbury included
Richard Ingrams Richard Reid Ingrams (born 19 August 1937 in Chelsea, London) is an English journalist, a co-founder and second editor of the British satirical magazine ''Private Eye'', and founding editor of '' The Oldie'' magazine. He left the latter job at ...
,
Willie Rushton William George Rushton (18 August 1937 – 11 December 1996) was an English cartoonist, satirist, comedian, actor and performer who co-founded the satirical magazine ''Private Eye''. Early life Rushton was born 18 August 1937 in 3 Wilbraham Plac ...
,
Christopher Booker Christopher John Penrice Booker (7 October 1937 – 3 July 2019) was an English journalist and author. He was a founder and first editor of the satire, satirical magazine ''Private Eye'' in 1961. From 1990 onward he was a columnist for ''The Su ...
and several other friends with whom he later become involved in '' Private Eye''.
Anthony Chenevix-Trench Anthony Chenevix-Trench (10 May 1919 – 21 June 1979) was a British schoolteacher and classics scholar. He was born in British India, educated at Shrewsbury School and Christ Church, Oxford, and served in the Second World War as an artillery of ...
, later the Headmaster of
Eton College Eton College () is a public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. It was founded in 1440 by Henry VI under the name ''Kynge's College of Our Ladye of Eton besyde Windesore'',Nevill, p. 3 ff. intended as a sister institution to King's College, C ...
, was Foot's Housemaster at
Shrewsbury Shrewsbury ( , also ) is a market town, civil parish, and the county town of Shropshire, England, on the River Severn, north-west of London; at the 2021 census, it had a population of 76,782. The town's name can be pronounced as either 'Sh ...
between 1952 and 1955, a time when corporal punishment in all schools was commonplace. In adult life, Foot exposed the ritual beatings that Chenevix-Trench had given.
Nick Cohen Nicholas Cohen (born 1961) is a British journalist, author and political commentator. He was a columnist for '' The Observer'' and a blogger for '' The Spectator''. Following accusations of sexual harassment, he left The Observer in 2022 and be ...
wrote in Foot's obituary in ''
The Observer ''The Observer'' is a British newspaper published on Sundays. It is a sister paper to ''The Guardian'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', whose parent company Guardian Media Group Limited acquired it in 1993. First published in 1791, it is the w ...
'':
"Even by the standards of England's public schools, Anthony Chenevix-Trench, his housemaster at Shrewsbury, was a flagellomaniac. Foot recalled, 'He would offer his culprit an alternative: four strokes with the cane, which hurt; or six with the strap, with trousers down, which didn't. Sensible boys always chose the strap, despite the humiliation, and Trench, quite unable to control his glee, led the way to an upstairs room, which he locked, before hauling down the miscreant's trousers, lying him face down on a couch and lashing out with a belt." Nick Cohen quotes from Foot's 1996 ''London Review of Books'' article.
Foot first detailed Chenevix-Trench's behaviour for ''Private Eye'' in 1969, an experience described by Cohen as one of Foot's happiest days in journalism. After his
national service National service is the system of voluntary government service, usually military service. Conscription is mandatory national service. The term ''national service'' comes from the United Kingdom's National Service (Armed Forces) Act 1939. The ...
in Jamaica, Foot was reunited with Ingrams at
University College In a number of countries, a university college is a college institution that provides tertiary education but does not have full or independent university status. A university college is often part of a larger university. The precise usage varies ...
at the
University of Oxford , mottoeng = The Lord is my light , established = , endowment = £6.1 billion (including colleges) (2019) , budget = £2.145 billion (2019–20) , chancellor ...
, where he read jurisprudence, and wrote for ''
Isis Isis (; ''Ēse''; ; Meroitic: ''Wos'' 'a''or ''Wusa''; Phoenician: 𐤀𐤎, romanized: ʾs) was a major goddess in ancient Egyptian religion whose worship spread throughout the Greco-Roman world. Isis was first mentioned in the Old Kingd ...
'', one of the student publications at the university. He briefly edited ''Isis'', resulting in the publication being temporarily banned by the university authorities after Foot began to publish articles which found fault with university lectures.


Years in Glasgow

Via his
uncle An uncle is usually defined as a male relative who is a sibling of a parent or married to a sibling of a parent. Uncles who are related by birth are second-degree relatives. The female counterpart of an uncle is an aunt, and the reciprocal relat ...
, Paul Foot made the acquaintance of
Hugh Cudlipp Hubert Kinsman Cudlipp, Baron Cudlipp, OBE (28 August 1913 – 17 May 1998), was a Welsh journalist and newspaper editor noted for his work on the ''Daily Mirror'' in the 1950s and 1960s. He served as chairman of the Mirror Group group of ...
, the editorial director of Mirror Group Newspapers, who offered him a job with the company and Foot joined the '' Daily Record'' in Glasgow. He was expected "to sort out the Trots" in his journalism, but instead the experience of living in the Scottish city changed his whole outlook. Foot met workers from shipyards and engineering firms who had joined the Young Socialists. He read, for the first time,
Karl Marx Karl Heinrich Marx (; 5 May 1818 – 14 March 1883) was a German philosopher, economist, historian, sociologist, political theorist, journalist, critic of political economy, and socialist revolutionary. His best-known titles are the 1848 ...
,
Vladimir Lenin Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov. ( 1870 – 21 January 1924), better known as Vladimir Lenin,. was a Russian revolutionary, politician, and political theorist. He served as the first and founding head of government of Soviet Russia from 1917 to 19 ...
, Rosa Luxemburg,
Leon Trotsky Lev Davidovich Bronstein. ( – 21 August 1940), better known as Leon Trotsky; uk, link= no, Лев Давидович Троцький; also transliterated ''Lyev'', ''Trotski'', ''Trotskij'', ''Trockij'' and ''Trotzky''. (), was a Russian ...
, and the multi-volume biography of Trotsky by
Isaac Deutscher Isaac; grc, Ἰσαάκ, Isaák; ar, إسحٰق/إسحاق, Isḥāq; am, ይስሐቅ is one of the three patriarchs of the Israelites and an important figure in the Abrahamic religions, including Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. He was the ...
. While living in Glasgow he met
Tony Cliff Tony Cliff (born Yigael Glückstein, he, יגאל גליקשטיין; 20 May 1917 – 9 April 2000) was a Trotskyist activist. Born to a Jewish family in Palestine, he moved to Britain in 1947 and by the end of the 1950s had assumed the pen na ...
, "an ebullient Palestinian Jew". Cliff argued that Russia was
state capitalist State capitalism is an economic system in which the state undertakes business and commercial (i.e. for-profit) economic activity and where the means of production are nationalized as state-owned enterprises (including the processes of capital ac ...
and that Russian workers were cut off from economic and political power as much as, if not more than, those in the West. Persuaded by what he heard and saw, in 1963 Foot joined the International Socialists, the group in which Cliff had a leading role, and the organisational forerunner of the Socialist Workers Party (SWP). "Of all the many lessons I learnt in those three years in Glasgow," he wrote later, "the one which most affected my life was a passing remark by Rosa Luxemburg. She predicted that, however strong people's socialist commitment, as soon as they are involved even to the slightest degree in managing the system on behalf of capitalists, they will be lost to the socialist cause." Foot covered the 1962 West Lothian by-election as a political reporter for the ''Daily Record''. He asked of the Labour candidate,
Tam Dalyell Sir Thomas Dalyell, 11th Baronet, , ( ; 9 August 1932 – 26 January 2017), known as Tam Dalyell, was a Scottish Labour Party politician who was a member of the House of Commons from 1962 to 2005. He represented West Lothian from 1962 to 198 ...
: "How on earth is it that the West Lothian Constituency Labour Party with six coal-mines in the constituency can choose somebody from Eton and King's College, Cambridge, as their candidate?" H. B. Boyne, a political correspondent for the ''Daily Telegraph'', reminded Foot of his own background. The incident did not stop the two men becoming friends.


Journalism and public career (1964–78)

In 1964, he returned to London and began to work for '' The Sun'', as the trade union newspaper, the '' Daily Herald'', had become, in a department called Probe. The intention was to investigate and publish stories behind the news but the Probe team resigned after six months. "The man in charge turned out to be a former ''Daily Express'' City editor." Foot left to work, part-time, on the Mandrake column on ''
The Sunday Telegraph ''The Sunday Telegraph'' is a British broadsheet newspaper, founded in February 1961 and published by the Telegraph Media Group, a division of Press Holdings. It is the sister paper of ''The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', kn ...
''. He had contributed articles to '' Private Eye'' since 1964 but decided, in February 1967, to take a cut in salary and join the staff of the magazine on a full-time basis, working with its editor,
Richard Ingrams Richard Reid Ingrams (born 19 August 1937 in Chelsea, London) is an English journalist, a co-founder and second editor of the British satirical magazine ''Private Eye'', and founding editor of '' The Oldie'' magazine. He left the latter job at ...
and
Peter Cook Peter Edward Cook (17 November 1937 – 9 January 1995) was an English actor, comedian, satirist, playwright and screenwriter. He was the leading figure of the British satire boom of the 1960s, and he was associated with the anti-establishme ...
, by now in possession of a controlling interest in the magazine. When asked about the decision later, Foot would say he could not resist the prospect of two whole pages with complete freedom to write whatever he liked. "Writing for ''Private Eye'' is the only journalism I have ever been engaged in which is pure enjoyment. It is free publishing of the most exhilarating kind." Foot got on very well with Cook, only realising after the latter's death in 1995 how much they had in common, "We both were born in the same week, into the same sort of family. His father, like mine, was a colonial servant rushing round the world hauling down the imperial flag. Both fathers shipped their eldest sons back to public school education in England. We both spent our school holidays with popular aunts and uncles in the West Country." Foot's first stint at ''Private Eye'' lasted until 1972 when, according to
Patrick Marnham Patrick Marnham is an English writer, journalist and biographer. He was elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society Literature in 1988. He is primarily known for his travel writing and for his biographies, where he has covered subjects as diverse as D ...
, Foot was sacked by Ingrams who had come to the conclusion that Foot's copy was being unduly influenced by his contacts in the International Socialists. Ingrams has denied this, writing, "It was said at the time that he and I had fallen out over political issues. In fact, we very seldom disagreed about such things, the only tension arising from Paul's belief that whenever there was a strike he had to support the union regardless of any rights or wrongs." In October 1972. he left to join the ''
Socialist Worker ''Socialist Worker'' is the name of several far-left newspapers currently or formerly associated with the International Socialist Tendency (IST). It is a weekly newspaper published by the Socialist Workers Party (SWP) in the United Kingdom since ...
'', the weekly newspaper of the IS, "confident that a revolution was coming", as he explained decades later. He became editor in 1974. He fought the Birmingham Stechford by-election in 1977 for the SWP (gaining 1 per cent of the vote).


Career (1978–2004)

Six years later he returned to ''Private Eye'' but was poached in 1979 by the editor of the ''
Daily Mirror The ''Daily Mirror'' is a British national daily tabloid. Founded in 1903, it is owned by parent company Reach plc. From 1985 to 1987, and from 1997 to 2002, the title on its masthead was simply ''The Mirror''. It had an average daily print ...
'',
Mike Molloy Michael Molloy (born 22 December 1940) is a British author and former newspaper editor and cartoonist. Biography Born in Hertfordshire, Molloy studied at Ealing Junior School and the Ealing School of Art before working at the '' Sunday Pictori ...
, who offered him a weekly investigative page of his own with one condition, that he was not to make propaganda for the SWP. In 1980, Foot began to look into the case of the "
Bridgewater Four The Bridgewater Four are four men who were tried and found guilty of killing 13-year-old paperboy Carl Bridgewater, who was shot in the head at close range near Stourbridge, England, in 1978. In February 1997, after almost two decades of imprisonm ...
", who had been convicted the previous year of killing
Stourbridge Stourbridge is a market town in the Metropolitan Borough of Dudley in the West Midlands, England, situated on the River Stour. Historically in Worcestershire, it was the centre of British glass making during the Industrial Revolution. The 20 ...
newspaper boy Carl Bridgewater.Tony Harcu
''Journalism: Principles and Practice''
London: Sage, 2009, p.103
He repeatedly returned to this case, to the occasional consternation of his editor but believed this practice would lead to new witnesses coming forward. Foot and his colleagues looked through many thousands of pages of evidence and statements. When his book ''Murder at the Farm: Who killed Carl Bridgewater?'' was published in 1986, Stephen Sedley wrote in the ''
London Review of Books The ''London Review of Books'' (''LRB'') is a British literary magazine published twice monthly that features articles and essays on fiction and non-fiction subjects, which are usually structured as book reviews. History The ''London Review of ...
'' that Foot had not managed to "answer his own question" but did succeed in demonstrating "that if a jury had known what is now known about the case, it would not have inculpated" the defendants. After nearly 20 years in prison, their convictions were overturned at the Court of Appeal in February 1997 and the three surviving men (one had died in prison) were released.David Graves, "Bridgewater Four convictions quashed", ''Daily Telegraph'' 31 July 1997.
Archived
web.archive.com)
Foot stayed at the ''Daily Mirror'' for fourteen years, managing to survive at the paper during the years
Robert Maxwell Ian Robert Maxwell (born Ján Ludvík Hyman Binyamin Hoch; 10 June 1923 – 5 November 1991) was a Czechoslovak-born British media proprietor, member of parliament (MP), suspected spy, and fraudster. Early in his life, Maxwell escaped from N ...
was in control from 1984. Foot wrote in 2000, "Maxwell demeaned everyone who worked for him, myself included, but I was able by sheltering behind the editor to protect myself from his more monstrous excesses." He finally fell out with the new ''Mirror'' editor, David Banks in March 1993, nearly seventeen months after Maxwell's death. Banks, he claimed, had accused him of being "mad" and a contemporaneous boardroom coup had introduced, according to Foot, a "systematic campaign of union-busting" at the company."Paul Foot resigns from Mirror"
''The Herald'' (Glasgow), 31 March 1993
He left the ''Mirror'' in 1993 when the paper refused to print articles critical of its new management and placed him on sick leave. "This is Stalinist psychiatry," he said at the time. "If you don't agree with us you must be mad." Banks also revealed Foot's salary as £55,000 at the time of the row over the unpublished column, although Foot himself said that it was actually a few thousand less. Foot rejoined ''Private Eye'', now with
Ian Hislop Ian David Hislop (born 13 July 1960) is a British journalist, satirist, writer, broadcaster, and editor of the magazine ''Private Eye''. He has appeared on numerous radio and television programmes and has been a team captain on the BBC quiz sho ...
as the magazine's editor and began his regular column for ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
''. From 2001 he was a Socialist Alliance candidate for several offices. In the Hackney mayoral election in 2002 he came third, beating the
Liberal Democrat Several political parties from around the world have been called the Liberal Democratic Party or Liberal Democrats. These parties usually follow a liberal democratic ideology. Active parties Former parties See also *Liberal democracy *Lib ...
candidate. He also stood in the London region for the
Respect Respect, also called esteem, is a positive feeling or action shown towards someone or something considered important or held in high esteem or regard. It conveys a sense of admiration for good or valuable qualities. It is also the process of ...
coalition in the 2004 European elections. Foot's last book, ''The Vote: How It Was Won and How It Was Undermined'', was published posthumously in 2005. Foot's friend and ''Private Eye'' colleague
Francis Wheen Francis James Baird Wheen (born 22 January 1957) is a British journalist, writer and broadcaster. Early life and education Wheen was born into an army familyNicholas Wro"A life in writing" ''The Guardian'', 29 August 2009 and educated at two ind ...
, in his ''Guardian'' review, concluded, "Passionate, energetic and invincibly cheerful: the qualities of his final book are also a monument to the man himself."


Writing

Foot wrote '' Red Shelley'', a book which exalted the radical politics of
Percy Shelley Percy Bysshe Shelley ( ; 4 August 17928 July 1822) was one of the major English Romantic poets. A radical in his poetry as well as in his political and social views, Shelley did not achieve fame during his lifetime, but recognition of his achie ...
's poetry. He was a bibliophile, following in the steps of his grandfather Isaac and uncle Michael. He also wrote a book about the radical union leader
A. J. Cook Andrea Joy Cook (born July 22, 1978) is a Canadian actress. She is best known for her role as Supervisory Special Agent Jennifer "JJ" Jareau on the CBS crime drama ''Criminal Minds'' (2005–2020, 2022). Cook has also appeared in ''The Virgin ...
.


Awards and campaign journalism

Paul Foot was named journalist of the year in the ''
What The Papers Say ''What The Papers Say'' is a British radio and television series. It consists of quotations from headlines and comment pages in the previous week's newspapers, read in a variety of voices and accents by actors. The quotes are linked by a scri ...
'' Awards in 1972 and 1989 and campaigning journalist of the year in the 1980
British Press Awards The Press Awards, formerly the British Press Awards, is an annual ceremony that celebrates the best of United Kingdom, British journalism. History Established in 1962 by ''The Sunday People, The People'' and ''Campaign (magazine), World's Press ...
; he won the '' George Orwell Prize for Journalism'' in 1995 with Tim Laxton, won the journalist of the decade prize in the ''What The Papers Say'' Awards in 2000, and the
James Cameron James Francis Cameron (born August 16, 1954) is a Canadian filmmaker. A major figure in the post-New Hollywood era, he is considered one of the industry's most innovative filmmakers, regularly pushing the boundaries of cinematic capability w ...
special posthumous Award in 2004. His best known work was in the form of campaign journalism, including his exposure of corrupt architect
John Poulson John Garlick Llewellyn Poulson (14 April 1910 – 31 January 1993) was a British architectural designer and businessman who caused a major political scandal when his use of bribery was disclosed in 1972. The highest-ranking figure to be forced ...
and, most notably, his prominent role in the campaigns to overturn the convictions of the
Birmingham Six The Birmingham Six were six Irishmen who were each sentenced to life imprisonment in 1975 following their false convictions for the 1974 Birmingham pub bombings. Their convictions were declared unsafe and unsatisfactory and quashed by the C ...
which eventually succeeded in 1991. Foot also said that a former British intelligence officer,
Colin Wallace John Colin Wallace (born June 1943) is a British former member of Army Intelligence in Northern Ireland and a psychological warfare specialist. He refused to become involved in the Intelligence-led 'Clockwork Orange' project, which was an att ...
, had been framed for manslaughter with a view to suppressing Wallace's allegations of collusion between British forces and Loyalist paramilitaries in
Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...
during the 1970s. Foot took a particular interest in the conviction of
Abdelbaset al-Megrahi Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed al-Megrahi ( ar, عبد الباسط محمد علي المقرحي, ; 1 April 1952 – 20 May 2012) was a Libyan who was head of security for Libyan Arab Airlines, director of the Centre for Strategic Studies in Tripoli, Li ...
for the
Lockerbie bombing Pan Am Flight 103 was a regularly scheduled Pan Am transatlantic flight from Frankfurt to Detroit via a stopover in London and another in New York City. The transatlantic leg of the route was operated by ''Clipper Maid of the Seas'', a Boe ...
, firmly believing Megrahi to have been a victim of a
miscarriage of justice A miscarriage of justice occurs when a grossly unfair outcome occurs in a criminal procedure, criminal or civil procedure, civil proceeding, such as the conviction and punishment of a person for a crime they actual innocence, did not commit. Mis ...
at the
Pan Am Flight 103 bombing trial The Pan Am Flight 103 bombing trial began on 3 May 2000, 11 years, 4 months and 13 days after the destruction of Pan Am Flight 103 on 21 December 1988. The 36-week bench trial took place at a specially convened Scottish Court in the Netherlands set ...
. He also worked, though without success, to gain a posthumous
pardon A pardon is a government decision to allow a person to be relieved of some or all of the legal consequences resulting from a criminal conviction. A pardon may be granted before or after conviction for the crime, depending on the laws of the ju ...
for
James Hanratty James Hanratty (4 October 1936 – 4 April 1962), also known as the A6 Murderer, was a British criminal who was one of the final eight people in the UK to be executed before capital punishment was effectively abolished. He was hanged at Bedfo ...
, who was
hanged Hanging is the suspension of a person by a noose or ligature around the neck.Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed. Hanging as method of execution is unknown, as method of suicide from 1325. The ''Oxford English Dictionary'' states that hanging i ...
in 1962 for the A6 murder. It was a position he maintained even after DNA evidence in 1999 confirmed Hanratty's guilt.


Personal life

Paul Foot was married twice, to Monica (née Beckinsale, 1962–70) and Rose (Roseanne, née Harvey, 1971–93) and had a long-term relationship with Clare Fermont. He had two sons by his first wife, one son by his second, and a daughter by his relationship with Fermont: John Foot is an academic and writer specialising in Italy, Matt Foot is a solicitor,Simon Hattenston
"Fighting for legal aid is my family tradition"
''The Guardian'', 4 January 2014
and Tom Foot is a journalist. With Fermont, Foot had a daughter, Kate. He was a great admirer of West Indian cricket (he used to say that
George Headley George Alphonso Headley OD, MBE (30 May 1909 – 30 November 1983) was a West Indian cricketer who played 22 Test matches, mostly before World War II. Considered one of the best batsmen to play for the West Indies and one of the greatest cri ...
had taught him to bat) and a faithful follower of Plymouth Argyle FC. He was also a batsman and golfer.


Death and memorials

Paul Foot died of a
heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which may tr ...
at age 66. A tribute issue of the '' Socialist Review'', on whose editorial board Foot sat for 19 years, collected together many of his articles, while issue 1116 of '' Private Eye'' included a tribute to Foot from the many people with whom he had worked. Three months after his death, on 10 October 2004, there was a full house at the
Hackney Empire Hackney Empire is a theatre on Mare Street, in the London Borough of Hackney. Originally designed by Frank Matcham it was built in 1901 as a music hall, and expanded in 2001. Described by ''The Guardian'' as ‘the most beautiful theatre in L ...
in London for an evening's celebration of his life. The following year, ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
'' and ''Private Eye'' jointly set up the
Paul Foot Award The Paul Foot Award is an award given for investigative or campaigning journalism, set up by ''The Guardian'' and ''Private Eye'' in memory of the journalist Paul Foot, who died in 2004. The award, from 2005 to 2014, was for material published in ...
for investigative or campaigning journalism, with an annual £10,000 prize fund. Foot is buried in
Highgate Cemetery Highgate Cemetery is a place of burial in north London, England. There are approximately 170,000 people buried in around 53,000 graves across the West and East Cemeteries. Highgate Cemetery is notable both for some of the people buried there as ...
, London, near
Karl Marx Karl Heinrich Marx (; 5 May 1818 – 14 March 1883) was a German philosopher, economist, historian, sociologist, political theorist, journalist, critic of political economy, and socialist revolutionary. His best-known titles are the 1848 ...
's tomb, with the grave of
Chris Harman Chris Harman (8 November 1942 – 7 November 2009) was a British journalist and political activist, and a member of the Central Committee of the Socialist Workers Party. He was an editor of ''International Socialism'' and ''Socialist Work ...
, another long-time SWP member, adjacent to Foot's.


Publications


''Unemployment – the Socialist Answer''
(1963), Glasgow: The Labour Worker. *''Immigration and Race in British Politics'', (1965), Harmondsworth: Penguin Books. *''The Politics of Harold Wilson'', (1968), Harmondsworth: Penguin Books. *''The Rise of Enoch Powell: An Examination of Enoch Powell’s Attitude to Immigration and Race'', (1969), London: Cornmarket Press, . *''Who Killed Hanratty?'', (1971), London: Cape, .

(1971), London: International Socialists.

(1973), England: International Socialists.

(1976), London: Rank and File Organising Committee.

(1977), London: Socialist Workers Party, . *''Red Shelley'', (1980), London: Sidgwick and Jackson, .

(1981), London:Socialists Unlimited, .

(1982), London: Socialist Workers Party, . *''The Helen Smith Story'', (1983), Glasgow: Fontana, , (with Ron Smith).

(1986), London: Socialist Workers Party, . *''Murder at the Farm: Who Killed Carl Bridgewater?'' (1986), London: Sidgwick & Jackson, . *''Ireland: Why Britain Must Get Out'', (1989), London: Chatto & Windus, . *''Who Framed Colin Wallace?'', (1989), London:Macmillan, .

(1990), London: Bookmarks, . *''Words as Weapons: Selected Writing 1980–1990'', (1990), London: Verso, /0860915271. * * (Obituary of
David Widgery David Widgery (27 April 1947 – 26 October 1992) was a British Marxist writer, journalist, polemicist, physician, and activist. Biography Widgery was born in Barnet and grew up in Maidenhead, Berkshire. He contracted polio as a child and ...
.) *''Articles of Resistance'', (2000), London: Bookmarks, .
You Should Vote Socialist''
(2001), London: Bookmarks. *''Lockerbie: The Flight from Justice'', (2001), London: Private Eye Special Issue. *''The Vote: How It Was Won and How It Was Undermined'', (2005), London: Viking, . *''Orwell & 1984: A Talk by Paul Foot'' (2021), London: Redwords *''Toussaint Louverture and the Haitian Revolution: Two Talks by Paul Foot'' (2021), London: Redwords


See also

* Alternative theories of the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103


References


Further reading

*


External links


Paul Foot Internet Archive
at Marxists.org Obituaries
''Socialist Worker'' obituary

''The Guardian'' obituary





BBC obituary

''Socialist Review'' obituary
* Extracts from his final work ''The Vote''
Introduction
an
Sisters at War
Audio
MP3 Talks on Shelley and the Peasants Revolt by Foot
* Paul Foot on Ramsay MacDonald
Part 1Part 2Paul Foot Award
{{DEFAULTSORT:Foot, Paul 1937 births 2004 deaths Alumni of University College, Oxford British investigative journalists British Marxists British socialists British Trotskyists Burials at Highgate Cemetery
Paul Paul may refer to: *Paul (given name), a given name (includes a list of people with that name) * Paul (surname), a list of people People Christianity *Paul the Apostle (AD c.5–c.64/65), also known as Saul of Tarsus or Saint Paul, early Chri ...
British Marxist journalists People educated at Ludgrove School People educated at Shrewsbury School Presidents of the Oxford Union Private Eye contributors Respect Party parliamentary candidates Socialist Workers Party (UK) members The Guardian journalists 20th-century British journalists 21st-century British journalists Sons of life peers