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James William Beauchamp Blackett (born 17 October 1964) is a British politician, writer, landowner and political activist, who served as leader of the All for Unity party from 2021, until the party's dissolution in 2022. He has written articles appearing in The Daily Telegraph, The Spectator and other publications. He writes a monthly column, "Farming Life", for Country Life. He is also a regular commentator on GB News.

Early life and career

Educated at Eton College, Blackett served in the Coldstream Guards from 1983 to 2002, including service during The Troubles and the first Gulf War. In addition, he served as a Deputy Lieutenant for Dumfriesshire from 2013 to 2020. Blackett has been a member of the Royal Company of Archers since 2012.

Blackett is a direct descendant of Christopher Blackett of Wylam Hall, Northumberland, founder of The Globe newspaper, and entrepreneur behind the world’s oldest surviving steam engine Puffing Billy.

Literary career

Although he writes mainly about rural matters, Blackett's first book The Enigma of Kidson is a partly autobiographical portrait of teacher Michael Kidson, whose pupils at Eton College included former Prime Minister David Cameron. In the book, Blackett describes being beaten by the Head, Michael McCrum, one of the last acts of corporal punishment at the school. It is currently being adapted for the stage by playwright Henry Filloux-Bennett.

His books, Red Rag to a Bull and its sequel Land of Milk and Honey tell how he arrived home from military service to take over Arbigland, an agricultural estate on the Solway Firth in Dumfries and Galloway to find a rapidly changing countryside. Set over 20 years through the Scottish independence referendum, hunting ban, Brexit, Coronavirus and the 2021 Scottish Parliamentary Elections, the books cover challenges threatening a way of life and an emerging rural philosophy in which farmers have greater freedom to manage the countryside.

Political career

In 2020, Blackett became the Deputy Leader of the Alliance for Unity, a party which was founded by George Galloway to contest the 2021 Scottish Parliament election. The registered name of the party became All for Unity, with Blackett as the Leader and Galloway as the Nominating Officer and Lead Spokesperson. In the election, Galloway stood as the lead candidate, with Blackett as second, in the South Scotland electoral region. He and Galloway spoke out against what they saw as the ‘Ulsterisation’ of Scotland, Blackett linking it to his first-hand experience as a soldier in Northern Ireland. Blackett later broke with Galloway and All for Unity was de-registered as a political party.

References

1. "Candidates for South Scotland". All for Unity News. 9 April 2021. Archived from the original on 20 April 2021. Retrieved 9 April 2021.
2. Blackett, Jamie. "Struggling farmers have been abandoned by the Government". The Telegraph. Retrieved 22 June 2020.
3. Blackett, Jamie. "Beware the Rise of US Beef". The Spectator. Retrieved 22 June 2020.
4. Blackett, Jamie. "How farming has fallen from 'no finer investment' to fighting for its future". Country Life. Retrieved 23 June 2020.
5. "Globe". British Newspaper Archive. Retrieved 22 June 2020.
6. Schofield, Carey (5 August 2017), 'The Enigma of Kidson: The Portrait of an Eton Schoolmaster', by Jamie Blackett, with a Foreword by Sir Matthew Pinsent – Review, The Speculator
7. Kidd, Patrick (16 January 2021). "Eton master left his mark". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 17 February 2021.
8. Redrup, Gemma (2 December 2018). "Oh God this is going to hurt". Horse and Hound. Retrieved 22 June 2020.
9. Duffy, Judith (23 August 2020). "Deputy chief of George Galloway's Unionist party in astonishing anti-SNP rant". The National. Retrieved 20 January 2021.
10. "View registration - The Electoral Commission". search.electoralcommission.org.uk.
11. "Candidates for South Scotland". All for Unity News. 9 April 2021. Archived from the original on 20 April 2021. Retrieved 9 April 2021.
12. "South Scotland". All for Unity. Retrieved 26 April 2021.
13. "All for Unity party collapses after George Galloway's Russia claims". The National. Retrieved 21 April 2023.

• British male writers
• Living people
• 1964 births
• 21st-century British writers
• People educated at Eton College
• Graduates of the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst