The journalist Jonathan Miller, a cherished Spectator contributor, died last week at his home in Occitanie, France. Below is an extract from the memoir he had only just completed, Shock of the News: Confessions of a Troublemaker. Here he explains how he came to write about French politics and culture for the magazine.

The journalist Jonathan Miller, a cherished Spectator contributor, died last week at his home in Occitanie, France. Below is an extract from the memoir he had only just completed, Shock of the News: Confessions of a Troublemaker. Here he explains how he came to write about French politics and culture for the magazine.

I t was Andrew Neil who prodded me from my lethargy. Andrew lives on the posh Provençal side of the Rhône while we’re on the plouc side nearer Spain. I’m more likely to run into him in England or New York than France. But we keep in touch by email. When Emmanuel Macron began his manoeuvres for the presidency, I sent a gossipy email to Andrew explaining why I thought he might win, and how peculiar he was. Andrew was then chairman of The Spectator, in addition to presenting for the BBC, and his response was to suggest to Fraser Nelson, The Spectator’s editor, that he take me on as the French political correspondent, writing for the magazine and website. A very grand appointment paying peanuts. Fraser agreed. I have now covered Macron through two presidential elections and non-stop interstitial magouilles (fishy moves) that make his reign a golden one for a freelancer.

Many rum coves have ruled France and Macron is among the rummiest. I had a feel from the start that there was something pathological about him. The narcissistic personality disorder was in plain sight.

There are reasons I’m not invited to Macron’s Elysée Palace for cosy chats, like Sophie Pedder, the Economist’s correspondent in Paris, after her magazine depicted Macron walking on water and declared him Europe’s saviour. My line is less charitable. A few headlines from my author page at The Spectator offer a flavour of my coverage. ‘Emmanuel Macron looks shiftier and less........

© The Spectator