Padraic McGuinness

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Padraic Pearse "Paddy" McGuinness AO (27 October 1938 – 26 January 2008) was an Australian journalist, activist, and commentator. Beginning his career on the far left, he found fame as a right-wing contrarian. Finishing his career as the editor of the conservative journal, Quadrant, he also worked as a columnist for The Australian and for The Sydney Morning Herald and as the editor of The Australian Financial Review[1].

McGuinness attended St Ignatius' College, Riverview then obtained a scholarship to Sydney Boys' High School and studied economics at Sydney University (B.Ec., Hons, 1960), where he became a prominent member of the Sydney Push in the late 1950s and early 1960s. At this time he identified as an anarchist.

After a short career as an economics lecturer at the then N.S.W. University of Technology, McGuinness moved to London where he worked with the Moscow Narodny [People's] Bank, an arm of the Soviet Government, from 1966 to 1967[2]and continued his studies at the London School of Economics[3]. He later served the OECD in Paris, returning to Sydney in 1971.

In 1973-74, he served the Whitlam Labor Government as an economic adviser to the Minister for Social Security, Bill Hayden, who was engaged in establishing Medibank and framing restrictive regulation for private hospitals and nursing homes. After that, McGuinness's career was chiefly in journalism, including senior editorial positions at The Australian Financial Review (1974-87) and column-writing for The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age and The Australian.

His father, Frank McGuinness, started the Sydney newspaper The Daily Mirror in 1941.

According to fellow newspaper columnist and colleague Frank Devine,"Paddy was the quintessential independent thinker, scorning humbug and stupidity. He was a bloodthirsty predator among those he identified as members of the chattering classes".[1]

Paddy McGuinness died from cancer on Australia Day, January 26, 2008, aged 69, having recently stood down as editor of Quadrant.[4]

The day before his funeral, former Prime Minister Paul Keating attacked him by calling him a fraud and a liar.[5]

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b Stapleton, John. "McGuinness, voice of dissent, dies, 69", The Australian, 2008-01-28. Retrieved on 2008-01-28. 
  2. ^ Henderson G Knees-up in Balmain under [1]
  3. ^ H. R. Nicholls Society [2]
  4. ^ ABC Report of his death
  5. ^ McGuiness a fraud and a liar: Keating | The Australian
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