Patrick West


Patrick West is a British freelance writer and political commentator.

Early life

He is the son of British journalist Richard West and Irish journalist Mary Kenny, the brother of the journalist Ed West, and cousin of actors Timothy West and Samuel West.

Career

West has written for The Spectator, The Times Literary Supplement, and Standpoint. He is currently a regular columnist for Spiked.
According to Ben Schott, West's 2004 report, Conspicuous Compassion: Why Sometimes it Really is Cruel to be Kind criticised “grief tourism.” He wrote that: "We live in a post-emotional age, one characterised by crocodile tears and manufactured emotion. Ostentatious caring allows a lonely nation to forge new social bonds. Additionally, it serves as a form of catharsis. We saw this at its most ghoulish after the demise of Diana. In truth, mourners were not crying for her, but for themselves..."
West's 2005 report for Civitas, The Poverty of Multiculturalism, asserted that multiculturalism was losing its hold on public life.

Works