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Revision as of 18:09, 18 November 2004 by Iota (talk | contribs)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)Peter Hitchens is a British journalist, author and broadcaster. Hitchens started his journalistic career at the Daily Express newspaper. He left to join the Mail on Sunday in 2001 in protest when the Express was bought by the pornographer Richard Desmond.
A former Trotskyist, Hitchens now espouses conservative values. An unabashed reactionary, he advocates the restoration of capital punishment and staunchly opposes United Kingdom membership of the European Union, Prime Minister Tony Blair's constitutional reforms, and the 1998 Good Friday Agreement, which he regards as a sell-out to the Provisional IRA. He has denounced the decline of religious faith and family life, progressive teaching methods, the influence of television on children, the 'permissive society', multi-culturalism and the metrication of Britain's weights and measures. However, he has often been at odds with fellow conservatives, opposing the 2003 invasion of Iraq, and the privatisation of Britain's railways. He is frequently dismissive of the modern British Conservative Party and has spoken of his desire for a new conservative movement to take its place. In response to a comment that he was known to friends and enemies alike as 'Bonkers', he has written:
- Anyone who calls me by this unpleasant and profoundly intolerant name is mistaken if he thinks he is my friend. And if he wishes to be my enemy, he will have to do an awful lot better than that.
Hitchens has written two books - The Abolition of Britain and A Brief History of Crime - both strongly critical of the changes that have taken place in British society since the 1960s. A compendium of his columns was published under the title Monday Morning Blues. A third book The Abolition of Liberty is due for publication in the autumn of 2004. Christopher Hitchens, also a journalist, author and critic, is his older brother. Christopher's views on most issues are far to the left of those of his brother.