Jamie Blackett

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Jamie Blackett
BornJames William Beauchamp Blackett
(1964-10-17) 17 October 1964 (age 56)
OccupationWriter, farmer, retired Army Officer
NationalityBritish
Alma materEton College
Notable worksThe Enigma of Kidson
Red Rag to a Bull
Rural Life in an Urban Age
SpouseSheralyn
ChildrenTwo

Jamie Blackett (born 1964) is a British politician, landowner, author and freelance columnist, with articles appearing in The Daily Telegraph,[1] The Spectator[2] and other publications.[3]

Early life and career[]

Educated at Eton College, Blackett later served in the Coldstream Guards from 1983 to 2002, including service in The Troubles and the first Gulf War. In addition, he served as Deputy Lieutenant for Dumfriesshire from 2013 to 2020. Blackett has been a member of the Royal Company of Archers since 2012.

Blackett is a direct descendant of Christopher Blackett of Wylam Hall, Northumberland, founder of The Globe[4] newspaper, and entrepreneur behind the world’s oldest surviving steam engine Puffing Billy.

Literary career[]

His latest book, Red Rag to a Bull, Rural Life in an Urban Age [5] tells how he arrived home from the Army to take over Arbigland, a large coastal estate on the Solway Firth in Dumfries and Galloway to find a rapidly changing countryside. Set over 20 years through the Scottish independence referendum, hunting ban, and Brexit, the book covers challenges threatening a way of life and an emerging rural philosophy in which farmers have greater freedom to manage the countryside.

Although he writes mainly about rural matters, Blackett’s first book The Enigma of Kidson (Quiller 2017),[6] is a partly autobiographical portrait of teacher Michael Kidson, whose pupils at Eton College included former Prime Minister David Cameron. In the book, Blackett describes being beaten by the Head, Michael McCrum, one of the last acts of corporal punishment at the school. It is currently being adapted for the stage by playwright .[7]

All for Unity[]

In 2020, Blackett became the Deputy Leader of the Alliance for Unity, a party which was founded by George Galloway to contest the 2021 Scottish Parliament election.[8][9] The registered name of the party became All for Unity, with Blackett as the Leader and Galloway as the Nominating Officer.[10] In the election, Galloway stood as the lead candidate, with Blackett as second, in the South Scotland electoral region.[11]

References[]

  1. ^ Blackett, Jamie. "Struggling farmers have been abandoned by the Government". The Telegraph. Retrieved 22 June 2020.
  2. ^ Blackett, Jamie. "Beware the Rise of US Beef". The Spectator. Retrieved 22 June 2020.
  3. ^ Blackett, Jamie. "How farming has fallen from 'no finer investment' to fighting for its future". Country Life. Retrieved 23 June 2020.
  4. ^ "Globe". British Newspaper Archive. Retrieved 22 June 2020.
  5. ^ Redrup, Gemma. "Oh God this is going to hurt". Horse and Hound. Retrieved 22 June 2020.
  6. ^ Schofield, Carey. "'The Enigma of Kidson: The Portrait of an Eton Schoolmaster', by Jamie Blackett, with a Foreword by Sir Matthew Pinsent - Review".[dead link]
  7. ^ Kidd, Patrick (16 January 2021). "Eton master left his mark". ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 17 February 2021.
  8. ^ Duffy, Judith (23 August 2020). "Deputy chief of George Galloway's Unionist party in astonishing anti-SNP rant". The National. Retrieved 20 January 2021.
  9. ^ "Deputy Leader Jamie Blackett calls for a "Clarity Act"". Scotland Today. 22 September 2020. Retrieved 20 January 2021.
  10. ^ "View registration - The Electoral Commission". search.electoralcommission.org.uk.
  11. ^ "South Scotland". All for Unity. Retrieved 26 April 2021.
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