- After Dinner Speakers
- Conference Speakers
Topics:
- Politics
- TV/Radio Presenter
John Pienaar
JOHN PIENAAR is the BBC’s Senior Political Correspondent, both on television news and Radio 5 Live. One of his roles is to beat a path through the forest of Government spin. He is ideally positioned to give the inside scoop on the political scene through his after dinner speaking and conference speaking.
When New Labour scored their second election victory, John described how the order went out to avoid embarrassing displays of triumphalism: "The Spin Doctors knew exactly what to do – they wasted no time at all papering over all the windows!"
A former Political Correspondent for The Independent, John Pienaar penned their cutting and often controversial parliamentary sketch, Westminster Diary.
John originally trained at the South London Press, where he wrote about whatever was happening on his doorstep: urban crime, domestic violence, sex, drugs and rock’n’roll. He then became an Old Bailey Correspondent and even wrote an angling column (without ever having held a fishing rod in his life).
In a similar vein in 2003, John was all set to step into the celebrity boxing ring with Tony Hadley – until the British Boxing Board of Control put a stop to it.
'Excellent anecdotes, extremely engaging and wonderfully sociable - a superb choice'
Abbey National
