Robin Ramsay

Robin Ramsay author, co-founder and editor of Lobster magazine

Robin Ramsay (born 1948, Edinburgh, Scotland) is an author, and co-founder and editor of the magazine, Lobster. Ramsay writes about politics and conspiracy theories. His books have been published by HarperCollins and Pocket Essentials. His writings have resulted in him receiving death threats from the fascist group "Combat 18".

Robin Ramsay studied at Stirling University but left after a term and moved to London. Ramsay later took a degree at Hull University where he became interested in the John F Kennedy assassination.

While investigating the case Ramsay met fellow Kennedy assassination enthusiast Stephen Dorril and together they started a magazine about parapolitics. Lobster magazine first appeared in September 1983 as a 24-page A5 magazine. He also draws on his research and writes a regular monthly column in the Fortean Times.

In the Summer 2014 edition of Lobster magazine, Robin Ramsay reviews Morag Kerr's book "Adequately Explained by Stupidity? Lockerbie, Luggage and Lies" much of which he found boring and some difficult to follow:

"Kerr is a drole writer: chunks of dull technical stuff are punctuated by things like this (admittedly the best example) on p. 178:

‘There is another possibility. Perhaps the senior detectives were so convinced of the involvement of the German-based cell of the PFLP-GC that they couldn’t conceive of the bomb not having come from Germany. In other words, perhaps those in charge of this investigation were as dumb as a bag of hammers that failed hammer school.’

"I think the case she makes is plausible: the bomb was planted at Heathrow and the Libyans are innocent. But the last detailed account of the story I read was Paul Foot’s, which was a long time ago, so what do I know?"

Conspiracy theories

Although Ramsay's magazine Lobster includes articles on conspiracy theories, and he has written a book on the subject, Gareth Mclean writing in the The Scotsman newspaper, says that Ramsay "hates conspiracy theories", quoting him as saying "The term 'conspiracy theory' is used by various intellectual establishments to dismiss people like me. It's irritating but there's nothing you can do about it."

Personal

Robin Ramsay is the eldest child of a food chemist father and housewife mother.

Guardian journalist Robert McCrum describes Ramsay as "an extrovert, fast-talking Scot with jack-of-all-trades experience in alternative journalism, jazz music and the theatre".

In July 1988 Ramsay made an extended appearance on the Channel 4 discussion programme After Dark, alongside Merlyn Rees, H. Montgomery Hyde and others. The programme can be accessed online here.

Published books

• Smear: Wilson and the Secret State (1992) HarperCollins, ISBN 0-586-21713-4 (co-authored with Stephen Dorril)
• Prawn Cocktail Party: The Hidden Power of New Labour (1998) Vision Paperbacks, ISBN 1-901250-20-2
• New Labour (2002) Pocket Essentials, ISBN 1-903047-83-8
• Conspiracy Theories (2006) Pocket Essentials, ISBN 1-904048-65-X
• Politics and Paranoia (2008) Picnic Publishing ISBN 0-9556105-4-0
• Who Shot JFK? (2nd ed. 2009) Pocket Essentials, ISBN 1-84243-232-X

Articles

• Robin Ramsay, ""The Gemstone File" International Times, Vol.4, Number 11, 1978, retrieved 17 August 2012

Bibliography

• "Sexed-up files, lies and surveillance tapes ... One man's search to uncover what lies beneath", Hull Daily Mail, July 13, 2007 Friday, page 10
• "Shock Lobster", Sunday Herald, 17 August 2003. Online at U. Utah

External links

• Lobster magazine homepage

This page imported content from Wikipedia on 16 February 2014.
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