Saturday, December 10, 2005

Will Taki Be Named Editor of The Spectator?

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(image via weltwoche.ch)

Tory British MP Boris Johnson was, according to the Yorkshire Post, "last night promoted to the Tory frontbench � and immediately announced he was quitting as editor of The Spectator."

Stuart Reid will be interim editor, according to Boris Johnson's blog:

"Statement by Boris Johnson, editor of The Spectator, on joining David Cameron's shadow team:
"This is a fantastic job [Shadow Minister for Higher Education] and I am thrilled to be given the chance to do it. It is also a very hard job to do properly. It will mean a lot of time and thought.

"That is why I will be leaving the Spectator shortly after the Christmas edition has gone to press. Until a new editor is appointed, the magazine will be in the highly-capable hands of my colleague and deputy Stuart Reid."

According to Taki's High Life column in the December 3rd issue of Britain's The Spectator:

"And now for some good news. The powers that be have told me that I shall be named editor of The Spectator if Boris becomes a front bencher and resigns. This is only fair. I've been waiting for the top job for 28 years, seven proprietors and five editors. My first act will be to move Mary Wakefield's desk next to mine, lock the door and excercise my droits de seigneur. The next act will be to fire myself having excercised my rights. Well worth waiting for."

That is, of course, a politically incorrect statement. Taki has been accused of being everything from a misogynist to a racist. I met Taki several years ago, went to lunch at Elaine's on his bill, sat at his table, drank expensive booze deep into the night with him and his buddies (Chuck Pfeiffer, Christopher Buckley) and can attest to the fact that he is neither a misogynist nor racist.

Taki just really likes to speak provocatively; otherwise, he is one of the nicest media types The Corsair has ever met. We'd like to be the first to congratulate him.

You do your thing, Taki.

The Independent on Boris Leaving Media for the Bench here.

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