Blog
A United Ireland Maybe Closer Than You Think
- 18 Feb 2025
This article first appeared in the i Newspaper Assuming you don’t live there, think about the last time you thought about Northern Ireland. Events there are routinely ignored in the UK media, despite it being an integral component of the United Kingdom. It has a pop...
Telegraph Column: The LibDems Are Just As Much a Threat to the Tories as Reform UK
- 18 Feb 2025
This article first appeared in the Daily Telegraph. Show up at a Conservative Party function and it’s a fair bet that someone will engage you in a discussion about what to do about Reform UK. It’s also likely that no one will talk about the threat posed to the Conservative ...
Telegraph Column: It's Time to Ditch the Arbitrary % of GDP Defence Targets
- 18 Feb 2025
It’s very rare that I agree with Donald Trump about anything, but in his first term I applauded him for pointing out most European countries weren’t paying their way on defence. Many of them bucked up their ideas and nowadays 23 out of Nato’s 32 members do contribute at least ...
50 Years of Thatcher & 100 Days of Badenoch
- 11 Feb 2025
Fifty years ago today Margaret Thatcher was elected leader of the Conservative party by her fellow MPs. This week Kemi Badenoch celebrated 100 days as the tenth person to hold that position since Margaret Thatcher. We live in different times but there are a remarkable number o...
Review: 'Brian and Maggie'
- 9 Feb 2025
I wonder how many of you watched ‘Brian and Maggie’ on Channel 4. It is a two part drama based on a ling chapter in Rob Burley’s book on the art of political interviewing ‘Why is this Lying Bastard Lying to Me?’ It centres on the final interview Margaret Thatcher did with Bria...
It Shouldn't Happen to a Radio Presenter: 73 - Throwing a Guest Off the Air
- 2 Feb 2025
It’s not often I kick someone off my radio show for being utterly obnoxious. I’ve ended calls with members of the public before, but I don’t recall throwing a guest off air before. But it happened on Thursday. I had been shocked to see Donald Trump speculate i...
Speeding on the A20: Case Dismissed!
- 20 Jan 2025
On 29 January 2024 I was accused of speeding on the A20 dual carriageway heading out to the M25. It's a road I know well, and I am well acquainted with the speed limit. I also knew that in the earlier stretch the limit had been reduced 50 to 40, but was not aware that the stre...
Why Is Keir Starmer So Bad at Politics?
- 19 Jan 2025
This article first appeared in the the ipaper Feeling sorry for politicians is about the worst thing that can happen to them, but – and call me old-fashioned – even I have started to feel sorry for the flailing Keir Starmer. The poor chap has earnt the epithet “beleaguer...
My Predictions for 2025 (And Did I Get Many Right for 2024?)
- 2 Jan 2025
Here were my predictions for 2024.... 1. The general election will take place in November or early December WRONG 2. Labour will win a majority of between 30 and 60 seats WRONG 3. The LibDems more than double their seats RIGHT 4, Neither Donald Trump nor Joe Biden ...
The Honours List is Full of Undeserving Failures
- 31 Dec 2024
This article first appeared in the iNewspaper Our honours system is one of our great British institutions, yet if it is to survive in a meaningful way it needs to retain the respect and interest of all of us. Unfortunately, it continues to be devalued by the award of hon...
Jimmy Carter: A Tribute by Lord Owen
- 29 Dec 2024
This is the essay David Owen wrote for THE PRESIDENTS in 2021. I thought it should have a wider audience after his death was announced at the age of 100. On 3 November 1976 Jimmy Carter beat President Gerald Ford in the electoral college by 57 votes and i...
2024 Was Not a Good Year For Me
- 24 Dec 2024
This article first appeared in the iNewpaper. Like many others, I won’t be looking back on 2024 as a year which was anything other than one to forget. Being a Cancerian I always like to evaluate whether a year has been good, bad or indifferent. For me, there are few cons...
Wishing Everyone a Happy Christmas
- 22 Dec 2024
I’m working all over Christmas at LBC. In fact I only have one day off next Saturday. So do join me all this week and Sunday from 10am-1pm. You can even listen on Christmas morning while you peel your sprouts! And if any of you fancy ringing in, do not resist temptati...
Memories of the 1979 General Election Campaign
- 22 Dec 2024
I stumbled across an old file from Total Politics days with recollections of various politicos of the 1979 general election campaign, which some of you might find of interest... Julia Langdon I spent most of the 1979 election campaign in a state of mild terror. The ...
What Does Nick Candy's Appointment as Treasurer Mean for Reform UK?
- 18 Dec 2024
This arrticle first appeared in the i Newspaper. To survive and thrive as a political party and ultimately to achieve power, you need four things: charismatic politicians, a professional party organisation, money and, of course, votes. At Reform UK’s party conferenc...
It's a Disgrace That Nigel Farage Has to Live in Fear
- 17 Dec 2024
This article first appeared in the iNewspaper. A justice system only works if it is respected by the people it affects and is seen to be fair. By and large, British justice is revered around the world and is free of the political interference we see in many other countri...
Can Angela Rayner Really Build Enough Houses?
- 8 Dec 2024
It seems hard to believe that Labour’s first five months in power have been so dispiriting. They came into government with bellows of goodwill behind them. Now not only have they resembled the shambles that preceded them, but the green shoots of economic growth have been st...
From 'THE DICTATORS: The Real Bashar Al Assad by Brooks Newmark
- 8 Dec 2024
Given current events in Syria, I thought it might be a good idea to post Brooks Newmark's essay from THE DICTATORS here. Brooks actually met Assad several times and has a unique insight into him. You can order a signed copy of THE DICTATORS here. Bashar al-Assad Sy...
Booking.com - Never Again
- 1 Dec 2024
You know how I like to tell you about my customer service experiences, both good and bad. On Thursday I was asked to stand in for Lewis Goodall this morning on LBC. I always like doing the Sunday morning slot, so I was happy to do it, but I explained that I was speaking in ...
Is the Church Really to Blame for our Obesity Crisis?
- 1 Dec 2024
There’s nothing like kicking a man when he’s down, is there? Having resigned as Archbishop of Canterbury for his handling of child abuse claims, Justin Welby (and other religious leaders) now stands accused of being responsible for Britain’s growing obesity epidemic. Yes, you ...