FRANCIS WHEEN is an author and journalist who was named Columnist of the Year for his contributions to the Guardian. He is a regular contributor to Private Eye and is the author of several books, including a highly acclaimed biography of Karl Marx, which has been translated into twenty-two languages, and the bestselling How Mumbo-Jumbo Conquered the World. He recently wrote the screenplay for The Lavender List, a biopic on Harold Wilson’s last days in government. His collected journalism, Hoo-Hahs and Passing Frenzies, won the George Orwell prize in 2003.