Former UCL student turned political columnist, Patrick Maguire, addresses the Labour Party Society

Photo courtesy: The Times

A respected journalist, UCL alumnus and Ancient Studies graduate, Patrick Maguire was welcomed back to campus last Wednesday as a guest speaker for the Labour Society. 

An event longed for by Labour Society members and aspiring student journalists, Maguire's late arrival did little to deter the sycophantic audience. As Maguire came through the doors of the auditorium, welcomed by a cheer and a shift in seats, the audience made ready for an insightful and frank discussion between the journalist and the president of the Labour Society, Martin Barabas.  

The talk began with an account of Maguire’s background and where his journalistic interests began… at the Cheese Grater. His interest developed: summers were spent freelancing and writing for local newspapers, but mostly begging editors. Soon, he became more motivated by journalism than his degree, spending most of his time at UCL pursuing the former. By his mid-twenties, he had landed a gig at The Times. An impressive rise that left journalists, like myself, dazzled in belief. 

Barabas continued firing questions, as Maguire threaded through them with a candid wit. Conversations splintered across the lecture hall about the latest political zeitgeists, ranging from VAT tax breaks to Pennsylvania senators. He memorably commented on the difference between employment at The New Statesman (lethargic and thoughtful)  and The Times (intuitive and ‘real-time’).  

When asked why he didn’t get involved in campus politics, Maguire jokingly replied: ‘The people were weird, the greatest deterrent were those people’. A cheeky sentiment. Relief was provided when he clarified that much of the reason for it was rather due to his ‘love for journalism’. 

Aphorisms by Mr Maguire

On the future of journalism:

Yes and no. Maguire expressed concern for journalism with the rise of AI, noting how we now must look harder for good journalism. However, he maintained that in many ways journalism has become ‘democratised’ in recent years with social media.

On Keir Starmer: 

Maguire, a Labour Party sympathiser, discussed the recent entanglement of Starmer with the Israel-Palestine conflict at length. ‘Starmer will probably survive the recent criticism, but it could be dangerous to the election campaign if he continues to be inconsistent’. When asked about what Labour was doing well at the moment, he cited ‘not being Tory’ with a touch of schadenfreude.

What aspiring journalists should do:

‘If you want to be a journalist, there is no secret sauce. If you want to be a journalist, do journalism. Tell stories that no one else is telling. Newspapers are always interested in university stories, so make the most of that. No substitute for giving people a ring, be nosy, be assertive, or just fucking read the papers’. 

What aspiring journalists should not do:

‘Don’t tweet stupid stuff, don’t live feed your own life. Remember you are not the main character, so don’t call out other people’s journalism – unless you want to voice an injustice – no one is going to hire you. Don’t bitch about other journalists, it happens a lot - sometimes you just want to get up and scream’. 

‘Try and be professional, I know that’s a bit lame, I’m literally wearing a fucking tie right now – who even does that anymore.’ 

A warm return to UCL, perforated with charisma and enjoyed by all. We thank Maguire for his time.