Justin Shaw

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Justin Edward Magnus Shaw (born 1 April 1965) is a British aristocrat, author and right-wing operative. He is Chairman of the board of the right-wing think-tank Civitas [1] and is a board member of the New Model Schools company [2] - a Civitas project to make private schooling more widely available.

Family background and education

Justin Shaw is the third of four sons of the late Thomas Shaw, 3rd Baron Craigmyle. [3] His father Thomas Shaw was involved in charity work and political activism. He co-founded Britain's first fund-raising consultancy Hooker, Craigmyle & Co (now Craigmyle) with his friend Michael Hooker (who was also a lifelong friend of the McWhirter twins, Ross and Norris) in 1959. [4] He was involved in anti-abortion groups including the Linacre Centre, the Pro-Life Group and the Society for the Protection of the Unborn Child. [5] Like his father Justin Shaw attended Eton. He then studied philosphy at Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge. [6]

Business and Politics

Shaw has been linked to a group of right-wing unionists responsible for the leaking of a draft Framework Document in the early stages of the Irish peace process.

Last night it was becoming clear that a caucus of fervent Loyalists under the umbrella of a Unionist study group is closely associated with the leaker. It is made up of PR man David Burnside, [Matthew] D'Ancona himself; Dean Godson, a Daily Telegraph staff reporter; Paul Goodman, Northern Ireland correspondent on the Sunday Telegraph; Noel Malcolm, a historian and Daily Telegraph political columnist; Andrew McHallam, executive director of the Institute for European Defence and Strategic Studies; Charles Moore, editor of the Sunday Telegraph; Simon Pearce, a Conservative election candidate; company director Justin Shaw and historian Andrew Roberts. One of the group said last night: 'We didn't want the position when the framework document was published of being out in the cold as we were over the Anglo-Irish Agreement in 1985. There was a coming together of minds over what should be done.' [7]

Shaw's first novel The Illumination of Merton Browne

During this time Shaw was a company director at two Scottish textile companies Claridge Mills Ltd and Dicksons of Gala Ltd, both of which were based in the Scottish town of Selkirk. The former of which was founded by his father. [8] Dicksons of Gala was dissolved in 1998 and Claridge Mills in 2005. By 2000 Shaw was referring to himself in Companies House filings as a 'Self-Employed Author' and had become involved in educational charities and foundations. He was appointed a director of the London based Do Well Foundation in December 2000. The other current (June 2009) Trustees are Dr Amanda Foreman, author of the novel Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire, and Lord and Lady Harry and Caroline Dalmeny, [9] the former of whom works at the auction house Sotheby's. [10]

Shaw was appointed a director of the right-wing think-tank Civitas on 6 February 2001. He is currently chairman, whilst is older brother Thomas Shaw, 4th Baron Craigmyle is a Patron. [11]

In 2007 Shaw published his first novel The Illumination of Merton Browne using the penname JM Shaw. The book told the story of 'a London teenager’s fight to redeem himself through education' and recieved positive reviews. [12]

Notes

  1. Board of Trustees, About Us, Civitas, Accessed 19-June-2009
  2. Board of Governors, Justin Shaw, New Model Schools, Accessed 19-June-2009
  3. Charles Mosley (ed), Burke's Peerage, Baronetage & Knightage, 107th edition, 3 volumes (Wilmington, Delaware, U.S.A.: Burke's Peerage (Genealogical Books) Ltd, 2003), volume 1, page 940.
  4. Gerard Noel, 'Obituary: Lord Craigmyle', Independent, 12 May 1998; 'Michael Hooker, Telegraph.co.uk, 28 February 2004
  5. Gerard Noel, 'Obituary: Lord Craigmyle', Independent, 12 May 1998
  6. Charles Mosley (ed), Burke's Peerage, Baronetage & Knightage, 107th edition, 3 volumes (Wilmington, Delaware, U.S.A.: Burke's Peerage (Genealogical Books) Ltd, 2003), volume 1, page 940; Alan Franks, 'Tough love: In North London, a last-chance saloon for excluded boys is trying to break the cycle of violence with reading, maths – and boxing', The Times, 11 August 2007
  7. Adrian Lithgow, 'Top-level conspirator who'll never be found', Mail on Sunday, 5 February 1995
  8. Anne Simpson, 'Still full of hope, after a fashion', The Herald, 3 May 1999
  9. Charity Commission, 1086997 - Do Well Foundation Ltd, accessed 19 June 2009
  10. Sotheby's, [London: House Sales Specialist Profiles - Harry Dalmeny], accessed 19 June 2009
  11. Civitas, About - Patrons, accessed 19 June 2009
  12. Alan Franks, 'Tough love: In North London, a last-chance saloon for excluded boys is trying to break the cycle of violence with reading, maths – and boxing', The Times, 11 August 2007