Anthony Barnett (writer)
Anthony Barnett is an English writer and campaigner. He was a co-founder of openDemocracy in 2001.Biography
Barnett was a student at Cambridge University, where he was active in the Labour Club, and lodged with Nicholas Kaldor.
A former member of the editorial committee of New Left Review, Barnett has written for the New Statesman, The Guardian and Prospect. He conceived the television film England's Henry Moore, which concerned the sculptor's co-option by the British establishment.
Barnett is a campaigner for democracy. He was the first Director of Charter 88 from 1988 to 1995 and Co-Director of the Convention on Modern Liberty with Henry Porter.
In 2001 he founded openDemocracy with Paul Hilder, Susie Richards and David Hayes and was its Editor and then its Editor-in-Chief until 2007. He remains a regular contributor to the website. In 2016, he serialised publishing a chapter a week in the run up to Britain's EU referendum about the forces behind the vote. His in-depth evaluation was announced to be published by Unbound in 2017. The title was changed to The Lure of Greatness: England’s Brexit and America’s Trump.
Barnett was awarded an honorary doctorate from The Open University in September 2013. He lives with Judith Herrin; the couple have two daughters, the singer Tamara Barnett-Herrin and Portia Barnett-Herrin.Essays and reporting
