Two years of Pimlico Journal

Expanding operations in the year ahead

Dear reader,

It’s hard to believe that another year has passed since we celebrated our first anniversary at the Pimlico Journal, but so it has — and much has changed in that time.

This time last year, we were pleased to report that our work had amassed almost 300,000 views over the first year of publication; in our second, we reached almost 700,000. Then, we had received reference across a number of outlets, from The New Statesman to Caribbean Rhythms; now, such references are commonplace.

From my personal experience, it is now rare to meet someone involved in right-wing politics in London or the social sphere that surrounds it who has yet to encounter us, and this is reflected in our subscriber count, which has more than doubled. Included in that growth are a large number of names you would know, and whilst we would never reveal that information, it is gratifying to know that our words are reaching some of the most influential people on both sides of the Atlantic.

We remain a publication focused primarily on British affairs, but our coverage this year has explored the past and present of countries across the world, including Ireland, Spain, Poland, Romania, Albania, Czechia, Singapore, and — as much as we try to avoid it — the United States. International content is often some of the lowest quality slop out there, written by authors with no connection to or understanding of the subject country. We’re proud that all of our coverage of these countries is written by or in collaboration with local residents, and we think that is reflected in the quality of these pieces.

We have continued to influence important discussions on public policy, with the second part of our social housing investigation as well as with new propositions such as how to achieve net-zero migration through visa auctions and migration insurance, and our explorations of how Britain and America diverged on freedom of speech. It now looks increasingly likely that some form of right-wing government will be elected in 2029. Our task between now and then is to try and provide solutions to the problems this government will have to solve, and to warn against pursuing the many dead ends that seem so attractive to many on our side of politics.

If you feel you have something to contribute to that discussion, or if you’re an international reader with something interesting to say about your country, or indeed if you have anything else to say that you think readers of the Pimlico Journal need to hear, please do reach out: send us a DM on X (@PimlicoJournal), or email us at pimlicojournal@substack.com.

We would not have been able to reach these milestones without the support of our readers. Other than our X profile, you are our only marketing, and it’s your willingness to share our work that has given us the reach we enjoy today. I also want to thank each and every contributor who has provided their time and their thoughts to our articles. To date, we have never paid for an article, and your commitment to our shared project should be commended in the highest terms.

What next?

At our first anniversary, we announced the launch of a weekly subscriber-only newsletter to provide something in return for the generosity of our paid subscribers. We did so because we believe that our core offering of long-form written content should remain free in order to maximise its reach and, in doing so, our influence on British politics. We continue to believe in that principle.

We are pleased to announce that the Pimlico Journal will be substantially expanding operations to provide not just more of our core offering, but a range of new products as well. Since there is very little worth reading outside of these pages, it is our responsibility to fill up as much of your time as possible.

To that end, we are growing our team, with three full-time staff by early next year, and more committed volunteers to support our new endeavours. Nigel Forrester will remain Editor-in-Chief, and will be joined by George Spencer as Managing Editor and Christopher Bright as Deputy Editor. Scott Goetz will continue to support Pimlico Journal’s efforts as Commissioning Editor, and Francis Gaultier will do the same as a part-time researcher and contributor — more on his role shortly.

From 27 October, we will operate as much as possible on a new set schedule as follows:

Mondays: Weekly Newsletter (Subscribers Only)

Tuesdays: Contributor Article

Wednesdays: Contributor Article

Thursdays: Contributor Article

Saturdays: Editorial Article

From November, we will be broadening our content to include more original journalism and insight into the figures and events shaping British politics. We believe that there is a massively underserved market for high-quality journalism from a right-wing perspective, and we will look to fill that niche. We won’t just be publishing yet more opinion: think The New Statesman, minus the communism. This will not take away from our core offering, and we expect this kind of output to increase slowly over the next six months given the slow-burn nature of the work involved. This content will also be available free of charge to all readers.

Finally, if that’s not enough for you, we will also be launching three new podcast series so you can listen to us whilst pretending to send emails or look at spreadsheets.

The first series, launching on 7 November, will be a weekly News Podcast presented by George Spencer and Christopher Bright with the occasional special guest as fits the week’s events. This podcast will be free for all readers.

The second series, also launching in November, will feature conversations with interesting figures, from writers and academics to campaigners and political leaders, who will be interviewed by Nigel Forrester and George Spencer. This series will be released irregularly, as interesting people are in quite short supply these days — and we do not wish to fall into the common trap of desperation that leads many interview-based podcasts to bring on the kind of bores and half-wits one can only find on the darkest depths of X. This podcast will be available only to paid subscribers.

The third — and the one we’re most excited to present — will be a history podcast somewhat akin to ‘The Rest is History’, but with more interest in examining the rights and wrongs of the political issues at stake in a given period — but, of course, from the distinct Pimlico Journal editorial stance. We are not antiquarians, and we are interested in exploring history not just to tell an entertaining story, although we will certainly be doing that, but to help us imagine the future we are looking to build. We promised something like this a year ago, but until now, circumstances have not allowed us to dedicate the time necessary to do it properly. This podcast will be hosted by Nigel Forrester and Francis Gaultier. It will be available only to paid subscribers.

Speaking of paid subscribers: from 1 November, we will be increasing our monthly subscription cost for all new subscribers to £10. Unfortunately, someone has to pay for all this extra work, and, dear reader, that person is you. For those clever enough to have subscribed already, and for those who subscribe during the rest of October, the current pricing will be locked in for another year. In fact, if you would like to show your support for the Pimlico Journal — and, by extension, for your country — we are offering a 10% discount on the current price of annual subscriptions for the remainder of October.

Here’s to another great year,

Nigel Forrester Editor-in-chief, Pimlico Journal

George Spencer Managing editor, Pimlico Journal