Untimely Tracts

The following articles, written for The Times over a period of four years, consist of reflections, outbursts and exhortations on subjects which, with two exceptions, I chose myself. (The two exceptions are the short essays on Sisson and Hayek, commissioned by the editor.) The purpose of a newspaper column is neither to argue from first principles nor to engage in debate, but to present, as briefly as possible, a distinct point of view. For a variety of reasons, the outlook expressed in these articles is unfashionable and could be made tolerable to its critics only by a long arid mild-mannered argument, of a kind that has no place in a daily newspaper. I do not deny the need for such an argument; but, in reprinting these untimely thoughts, I reaffirm the conviction that gave rise to them - namely, that opinions which are out of fashion may nonetheless be true. I am extremely grateful to the late editor of The Times, Charles Douglas-Home, for tolerating, and to the then features editor, Peter Stothard, for first commissioning, utterances which have been so widely disapproved. I am also grateful to the many readers who sent messages of encouragement and for whose sake I have prepared this volume for the press. The articles are reprinted by kind permission of Times Newspapers Limited.