Given the government’s advice yesterday, I am now in what I am calling Splendid Isolation. Why? Because I am a type 2 diabetic and therefore in a high risk group.
The government advice is that anyone in a high risk group – ie the elderly those with diabetes or a respiratory condition – should stay at home for twelve weeks. LBC and Global Radio have been brilliant in allowing and encouraging their presenters and employees to think about what works best to protect us all.
I've cancelled all my appointments for the rest of the month. I won't be coming into London at all. And judging from Tonbridge Station car park yesterday, many people have decided to do the same. It's normally rammed full by 8am. Yesterday, it was one third full. People are being sensible and taking preca
I’m not going to stay housebound, but by doing this I minimise both the risk to myself and the risk to others. So for the foreseeable future I will be broadcasting my show from home in Tunbridge Wells.
I hope the show will be as normal as possible but obviously there will be no video content, no guests with me – that would rather defeat the point – but thanks to the wonders of modern technology I hope you won’t be able to tell too much of a difference. We’ll still be doing the newshour, at 8pm each evening it will be your chance to question and expert, and we’ll have our daily phone-in at 9pm. But there’s bound to be the odd clunk.
We are living through unprecedented and epoch defining times. Margaret Thatcher’s premiership was defined by the Falklands. Blair’s by Iraq. Cameron’s by Brexit. Boris Johnson, through no fault of his own will go down in history as the Corona Prime Minister. His reputation will be very much defined by how he deals with the crisis and leads the country through it.
Last night on the show we had more calls, texts, tweets and emails than I can remember from any show since the London riots nearly a decade ago. I know at times like this how important LBC is to our listeners, and how much they rely on us to give them accurate information and keep them informed about what is going on.
I’m also very much aware of my responsibility. Last night I changed my twitter banner to read “Keep calm and listen to Iain Dale.” I know how anxious many people are and I promise never to deliberately add to people's anxiety. If anything, I want to be able to reassure everyone. That won’t always be possible given what’s happening, but I will always be honest. It’s not my job to shield my audience from uncomfortable news, but it is my job to avoid whipping up panic and hysteria.
So do tune in at 7!
