Less than a year since the death of Frank Johnson, the Spectator has lost another of its family. Last night, the death of Ian Gilmour, who was our proprietor and editor from 1954 to 1959, was announced, and all at the magazine grieve for his passing and send our condolences to his family. In later life, Ian was best known as a staunch and eloquent critic of Thatcherism, whose book, Dancing with Dogma, impressed even those, such as myself, who disagreed with its central thesis. But he was also a crucial protagonist in the history of the Spectator and his carpet – worn down by the pacing of Alexander Chancellor – was a feature of the editor’s office for many years. As one of his successors, I was always impressed by the interest he continued to show in the magazine half a century after he held its chair, and knew from mutual friends that he still felt a passion about its role in national life and cared deeply about what it said – even, as on the war on terror, when he disagreed profoundly.
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