Alistair McAlpine was Treasurer and Deputy Chairman of the Conservative Party for fifteen years under Margaret Thatcher. Active in the worlds of commerce and the arts, he is a commentator in both fields. He was a regular columnist for the Spectator and Express on Sunday, and a frequent contributor to a number of national newspapers. He is the author of several books, including The New Machiavelli (Wiley) and The Servant. Lord McAlpine was, for many years, the director of his family's construction firm, Sir Robert McAlpine & Sons, Ltd.