James Clive-Matthews, better known as J Clive Matthews, is a British writer, editor, blogger and online content consultant. In 2008 he was shortlisted for the inaugural UACES-Reuters Reporting Europe Award, the only independent journalist on a five-person list that included the BBC's Europe Editor Mark Mardell and the Europe Editor of The Economist . [1] In 2010 he was named winner of the "Internet" category in the European Parliament Prize for Journalism. [2]
Writing under the pseudonym "Nosemonkey" he is the author of the blog Nosemonkey's EUtopia, for which he has been shortlisted for awards by The Guardian and Deutsche Welle . Formerly known as Europhobia, the blog rose to prominence for its coverage of the 7 July 2005 London bombings and subsequent campaign to raise money to buy emergency service workers a "thank-you" pint of beer. [3] In 2007 it was named one of the UK's best blogs by the Metro newspaper, which said: "In the often fractious and shouty world of Britain's political blogs, J Clive Matthews' balanced, informed and entertaining writing on British and European politics manages to rise above the murk – whatever part of the political spectrum you live on". [4]
Matthews is a contributor to the Times Literary Supplement , the Press Gazette , the Guardian and openDemocracy among others, and is the co-author, with Jim Smith, of two books in Virgin Books' "Film series", one on director Tim Burton, the other on The Lord of the Rings . [5] [6] [7]
He is a cofounder of the "Ideas on Europe" initiative, managed by UACES (the academic association for Contemporary European Studies) - the body responsible for the Journal of Common Market Studies . The initiative is a blog hosting service which provides an "independent forum for informed analysis, comment and debate" concerning EU affairs. [8]