Talk:William Rees-Mogg

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Hated the word "consensus"==Comment== Wiki Mos -- Michael David 21:27, 9 March 2006 (UTC) As Editor of The Times, Rees-Mogg wrote a memo to the staff stating that the word "consensus" was "odious" and proscribing future usage of the word at the newspaper. Ozziemaland (talk) 20:37, 7 August 2012 (UTC)ozziemaland <Deborah Cameron, Verbal Hygiene (1995), Preface xii.></>

Biography assessment rating comment

The article may be improved by following the WikiProject Biography 11 easy steps to producing at least a B article.-- Jreferee 22:51, 12 March 2007 (UTC)

11

If he was born in 1928, W.Ress-Mogg was 11 years of age when the War started in 1939.

Benn said that W.Rees-Mogg was a sergeant in the same war. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 81.149.223.218 (talk) 16:14, 19 October 2007 (UTC) This would be quite an achievement for a 16 year old to be made a sergeant. in peacetime, this would require at least 7 years service. in wartime, of course, the time would shorter. this sounds like more rambling from mr benn and should be considered as nothing more than the 'thin end of the wedgie' quis custodies ipso custodet (approx) bruce (talk) 19:34, 16 June 2008 (UTC)

Mr Benn is not always accurate, but of course he might have been misquoted. Or perhaps the then Mr Rees Mogg might have been a sergeant in 1944/45 in the Charterhouse School cadets. Or been a sergeant in post was National Service Millbanks (talk) 08:56, 23 June 2008 (UTC)

William Rees-Mogg seems to have been at Oxford University from 1946 to 1949. It seems

that he was not in any Army at any time. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 81.158.207.21 (talk) 11:13, 15 January 2009 (UTC)

Have added some stuff from his memoirs.Paulturtle (talk) 04:52, 16 April 2017 (UTC)

In wartime and national service days, conscripts were often quickly promoted to sergeant as soon as they had completed their training in some technical skill or other (and were often deeply resented by regular corporals, far more than temporary officers were). I'm sure that was true of WR-M's rank in the RAF.Paulturtle (talk) 01:12, 22 March 2023 (UTC)

Background

Isn't he from a landowning family in Somerset? If so, this ought to be mentioned in the article.

Meltingpot (talk) 21:15, 3 December 2009 (UTC)

Countryman

I have quoted some of Lord Rees Mogg's remarks made in The Times, but cannot access the original articles, which would have appeared in April/May 2001. Millbanks (talk) 09:04, 23 June 2008 (UTC)

Deletion Note

"In The Benn Tapes, broadcast on the BBC in October 2007, Tony Benn claims that William Rees-Mogg had risen to the rank of sergeant during World War Two." I have deleted the above statement from the article as it does not seem to be significant, and the source is not footnoted. Perhaps reinstate with a footnote, with an explanation of why this is significant (is it due to Rees-Mogg's young age at achieving this rank?) —Preceding unsigned comment added by 203.18.241.226 (talk) 06:47, 16 July 2008 (UTC)

There is no record of any military service in the Who's Who entry for Rees-Mogg, though it is possible that he did National Service after the War. Millbanks (talk) 21:55, 2 August 2008 (UTC)

I think he was an RAF NCO, whether before or after going up to Oxford I couldn't say. I dare say his poor eyesight ruled out pilot training.Paulturtle (talk) 15:58, 12 March 2017 (UTC) Have added some details from his memoirs.Paulturtle (talk) 04:50, 16 April 2017 (UTC)

Politics

Rees-Mogg is labelled as a Conservative in the Info Box, and certainly he has High Tory views. Also he once stood as a Conservative candidate, but that was a long time ago, and he now sits as a cross-bencher in the House of Lords. Millbanks (talk) 21:55, 2 August 2008 (UTC)

Annunziata Rees-Mogg

Please can we have a separate article for Annunziata Rees-Mogg. She's quite likely to be a member of Parliament within a few months. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Ajs41 (talk • contribs) 03:10, 1 December 2009 (UTC)

Back in 2005 it was decided at Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Annunziata Rees-Mogg that she was non notable - has her notability increased since?— Rod ^talk 08:27, 1 December 2009 (UTC)

And again in 2009 at Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Annunziata Rees-Mogg (2nd nomination).— Rod ^talk 16:20, 1 December 2009 (UTC)

Future history is banned in Wikipedia. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 86.180.182.155 (talk) 11:24, 7 December 2009 (UTC)

Incorrect, this isn't future history. She is a current candidate for election to the UK government and as such needs her own page. 80.4.202.8 (talk) 19:32, 8 December 2009 (UTC)

It isn't future history. It's present speculation. Should everyone who is a candidate for election as an MP (one is not elected to government) have their own page? In what sense is it a 'need'? Do you have a personal interest in her? Is she a very special person to you? In spite of her name? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 86.176.45.163 (talk) 17:16, 18 July 2018 (UTC)

Who Breaks a Butterfly on a wheel

I think the section on the famous "Who breaks a butterfly on a wheel" needs revising. Currently the article says: "Rees-Mogg has asserted that his leader helped to get Jagger released on bail. This assertion is also made in the official history of The Times, and Jagger has described being handed the leader in his prison cell. However, none of this is true. The issue of The Times for 1 July, which includes the leader (available online in The Times archive), has a picture on page one of Jagger and Richards leaving prison on bail the previous day."

I'm not sure that Rees-Mogg has ever claimed his leader helped get Jagger released on bail (which did indeed occur the day before the leader was published). I believe He did claim it helped Jagger and Richards in their appeal (which was held on July 31st and saw their prison sentences thrown out and replaced with moderate fines). I think the article should be edited to reflect this more accurately but I'm struggling to find appropriate citations. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Dsnmi (talk • contribs) 09:53, 11 November 2010 (UTC)

Background of being corrupt

There are many stories of William Rees-Mogg fidling expenses, and bribery in many of his public roles.

Can someone start compiling these stories on Rees-Mogg's corruption.

Like Jimmy Saville, many people lauded him, but there are lots of stories - anecdotal of him being a crook.

https://www.theguardian.com/theguardian/2013/jan/04/simon-hoggarts-week-fiscal-cliff-needles

William Rees-Mogg, who died last Saturday, is doubtless mourned by his family, though not in our house. When my father was on the arts council, headed by Rees-Mogg, he found the Tory peer arrogant, unimaginative and with an ego the size of the heliosphere. And at a time when the council was having to cut back, he used his official car for expensive, non-official duties, such as taking himself and his wife to his home in Somerset. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 87.224.32.138 (talk) 16:32, 26 June 2017 (UTC)

Did Rees-Mogg predict the African migration crisis?

Can anyone provide a reference for an article that Rees-Mogg wrote pre 2000 saying that we would see African migration hitting Europe in the 21st Century? Thanks. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 31.87.122.139 (talk) 18:18, 12 July 2017 (UTC)

Did Rees-Mogg predict the rise of fundamentalist Islam in Europe?

In the Book The Great Reckoning Rees-Mogg makes the argument that fundamentalist Islam will replace Marxism has the main ideology in the world. Why has no one picked up on this? The book was published in 1993.

Also the the page needs to expand on his books, and how prescient they were, (Especially The Great Reckoning)

Dead links

The link to the autobiography in the Telegraph, http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/9770732/William-Rees-Mogg.html, is dead. NotYourFathersOldsmobile (talk) 07:40, 5 October 2017 (UTC)

National service

In 1946–48, he did his National Service in the Royal Air Force education department (his poor eyesight ruled out aircrew training) rising to the rank of sergeant. His duties included attempting to teach illiterate recruits to read and write, and his reference from his commanding officer stated that he was competent to perform simple tasks under supervision.

Presumably this last comment was meant to be ironic. I have deleted the reference to the cold weather. We are not talking about battlefronts, where the weather can affect outcomes. Valetude (talk) 15:31, 17 March 2018 (UTC)

And I've restored it, because he discusses the exceptionally bitter winter in his memoirs, and I don't doubt it added to the misery of being a raw recruit with no control over where he was supposed to stand or sleep. Part of the fun and educative value of biography is the way in which famous men, like anyone else's granddad, play walk-on roles in the events of their youth, and some readers will be unaware that that winter took place.

As for his reference, it's just a statement of fact. RM was ticked off by his CO for setting overly-difficult questions in an RE quiz, and I'm sure he'd like us all to think his qualities were not appreciated by the RAF. Maybe he had qualities which went unnoticed by the RAF and he might have distinguished himself if posted to signals or intelligence (I had a friend who was a useless platoon commander but blossomed as battalion intelligence officer), or even if he'd been put in a situation where he was expected to use his initiative and grow as a person. Maybe he was shy, bookish, introverted and lacking in initiative. Who knows.Paulturtle (talk) 20:29, 31 March 2018 (UTC)

Surely most people who read a Wikipedia article are aware that every winter takes place, and that one takes place every year.

I'm sure they are, but relatively few of them will be aware that the winter of 1946-7 was one of exceptional and notable bitterness (snowfall so severe as to virtually shut the country down), and that like most people who lived through it WRM recalled it as a notable event of his youth, and after hearing of it and clicking on the link they will now be better-informed. And please sign your comments and post them separately rather then interposed among other people's comments (I have relocated yours).Paulturtle (talk) 19:23, 13 April 2019 (UTC)

COI? Maybe not too significant...

The COI tag, recently added by User:Mr_Xaero, apparently refers to the two July 3 edits by User:Thomas_Rees-Mogg. Those small changes simply update some information on the names of William Rees-Mogg's grandchildren. However, this user, who is presumably a family member, doesn't appear to have made any other changes. Unless there are additional edits of some concern, I'd suggest dropping the COI tag. Thoughts? jxm (talk) 16:08, 17 July 2018 (UTC)

I removed the COI from the article. I made an assumption that the user, Thomas_Rees-Mogg, was attempting to update the article further. Clearly I was incorrect in this. — Mr Xaero ^☎️ 16:16, 17 July 2018 (UTC)

Shrievalty of Somerset

It is erroneous he served as High Sheriff of Somerset from 1975 to 1978, though this may be based on a misreading of London Gazette citations. A check of the Gazette entry for 1975 shows the entries for each county show three names, these being the number of magistrates forwarded to the Queen for selection or 'pricking', the first name being the selected one. In 1975 he appears third. In 1978 the entries only show the selected, for which his name alone appears. High Sheriff is an annual appointment from among a number of magistrates from each county. It is therefore correct his term of office was from 1978 to 1979 as indicated by Wikipedia's list of Somerset's High Sheriffs.Cloptonson (talk) 21:45, 9 February 2019 (UTC)

Mogadon Man?

By now his liberal attitude to drugs policy had led to his being mocked as "Mogadon Man"...

I thought Mogadon Man was Geoffrey Howe because his oratory could send you to sleep. Valetude (talk) 17:10, 7 April 2020 (UTC)

True, but I also seem to recall Private Eye using this moniker to describe William Rees-Mogg.[1]--♦IanMacM♦ ^{(talk to me)} 17:20, 7 April 2020 (UTC)

Oxford

this line "having spent 5 months at Oxford he did not return in October as he was forced to give up his place to a disabled ex-serviceman" does not have a citation and the entire paragraph is only supported by his own autobiography. Considering how well that claim fits into certain political narratives, I don't think thats a good enough source to support such a statement. --jonas (talk) 21:52, 19 March 2023 (UTC)

You are quite right, we need better sourcing for all the Oxford stuff. DuncanHill (talk) 22:02, 19 March 2023 (UTC)

I don't think you are going to get any until somebody writes a comprehensive biography of the man - published obituaries just tend to say that he went to Oxford, was Union President and got a Second. I don't see any basic reason to doubt what he writes, although it's possible he embellished a little in his memory, eg. his National Service might already have been pencilled in when he turned 18, and Oxford may have let him do a couple of terms as they had a temporary vacancy. Having said that, I had a Danish friend at University whose place lapsed because he did poorly in his exams and before he could do anything about it he got his callup papers for the Danish Army...Paulturtle (talk) 01:21, 22 March 2023 (UTC)

And I don't think it was written to "fit into" any "political narrative". There must have been lots of disabled ex servicemen around at the time, although my recollection is that there was some piece of wartime legislation about disabled rights which had assumed that there would be a lot more of them (probably the Disabled Persons Employment Act 1944 - not sure if that had any impact on an ex serviceman's right to go to University). As can be seen on this talk page, the section on his Oxford years seems to attract incessant interest, which may just mean that people actually read it.Paulturtle (talk) 01:38, 22 March 2023 (UTC)