Joan Smith
Known for her human rights activism and writing on subjects such as atheism and feminism, Joan Smith is a columnist, critic and novelist. An Honorary Associate of the National Secular Society and a regular contributor to BBC radio, she has written five detective novels, two of which have been filmed by the BBC. Her latest novel, What Will Survive, was published in June 2007.
Joan Smith: Nothing 'great' about Biggs's train robbery crime
Our writer argues that age and illness are not grounds for parole
Recently by Joan Smith
Joan Smith: Just who does Prince Charles think he is?
Sunday, 21 June 2009
Whatever else, he's no town planner
Joan Smith: Frumpy outsmarts elegant in our warped politics
Sunday, 14 June 2009
It was red! It was shiny! It was short! Listening to the chorus of outrage about Caroline Flint's fashion shoot in a women's magazine, I began to wonder if the former Europe minister had posed looking as sultry as Dita von Teese. In fact, as someone sniffily pointed out, she wore chain-store clothing for the photographs, which were taken some time before she resigned, to accompany an interview about her life as a politician.
Joan Smith: We don't do female sacrifice any more, Prime Minister
Sunday, 7 June 2009
It was a bloodbath. Last week, like a wounded warrior trying to appease vengeful gods, Gordon Brown sacrificed one woman after another in a desperate attempt to save his own skin. By Friday evening, the stench of burning female flesh rose over Westminster as Margaret Beckett and Caroline Flint were added to the pyre, joining Jacqui Smith, Hazel Blears and Beverley Hughes. The cull was drastic, reducing the number of women in the Cabinet from eight, when Tony Blair left office two years ago, to a feeble four. There are now more peers (seven) than women round the cabinet table and Brown need lose only one more to be in the same position as John Major in 1997. So much for a Prime Minister who portrays himself, morning, noon and night, as a politician committed to fairness and equal rights. I mean, pull the other one, mate.
Joan Smith: Padel has been bullied for her frank ambition
Sunday, 31 May 2009
Blimey, have you noticed how quickly people get on their high horse these days? A week ago, the great and the good leapt on their steeds and galloped after Ruth Padel, newly elected Oxford professor of poetry, forcing her to stand down after only nine days in the post.
Joan Smith: Invite Guantanamo inmates into US
Sunday, 24 May 2009
Obama needs a grand gesture to separate himself from Bush. He should offer shelter to detainees
Joan Smith: It's time India spoke up for Suu Kyi
Sunday, 17 May 2009
The human rights activist once lived in New Delhi. Now her childhood home should come to her aid
Joan Smith: Country life is not all sex and Labradors, Liz
Sunday, 10 May 2009
Elizabeth Hurley eats pets. Don't take my word for it: the piglet she hand-reared in the laundry of her country mansion last year is now in her freezer, she says, waiting to be roasted. The revelation appears in an article she's written for a glossy magazine, extolling the joys of country living, although it has to be said that Ms Hurley doesn't seem to have quite grasped some essentials.
Joan Smith and Sarah Sands: The Thatcher years: a giant leap for women or a big step back?
Sunday, 3 May 2009
The IoS columnists go head to head on the legacy of Britain's first female prime minister, who walked into Downing Street 30 years ago tomorrow
Joan Smith: Tagging along behind a man is not a valid career
Sunday, 26 April 2009
If you're a footballer's wife or girlfriend, the worst thing that can happen to you is suddenly finding yourself outside the Wag club. That's the fate of Elen Rives, former partner of Chelsea and England star Frank Lampard, who revealed her anguish to journalists – never a good idea, but standard Wag operating procedure after a break-up – during a night out last week. With her black dress slipping down to expose a classic Wag cleavage, the "devastated" Spanish beau
Joan Smith: Le Président is petulant and out of his depth
Sunday, 19 April 2009
Sarkozy is dwarfed by international politics
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