UKIP & the BNP
- 8 Jun 2004
Sorry about the lack of posting since Sunday. This week has been spent mainly on the doorsteps of North Norfolk. Yesterday evening I went to Happisburgh Parish Council. The Deputy Leader of the local council, Clive Stockton (a LibDem) is the chairman of the council. He owns th...
Compering a Wrestling Match
- 28 May 2004
Well I've just come back from one of the more surreal experiences of my life as a candidate. Eight months ago today I was being selected as Conservative Candidate for North Norfolk at Holt Community Centre. This evening I was also at Holt Community Centre....compering a wrestl...
David Cameron Comes to Visit
- 20 May 2004
A very enjoyable and useful day which was dominated by the visit of David Cameron MP, our local government finance spokesman to North Norfolk. However I started the day off in Norwich doing an interview with Radio 4's Today Programme on political egg throwing. Seemed to go qui...
Seconds Out, Round Three
- 19 May 2004
It's been a great day out on the campaign trail in Corpusty, Saxthorpe and Aylmerton. There really is genuine enthusiasm for the Conservative Party out there now. We had more than a handful of LibDem-Conservative switchers and several from Labour too. I'm hugely encouraged by ...
My Personal Integrity Pledge
- 15 May 2004
Here's a press release I have just issued before setting off to Wells for a campaign day. I'd love to hear comments on this. By the way, my fingers are being crossed for a West Ham win in the playoffs this afternoon! In a speech this evening (Saturday) to more than 120 Bla...
Diggy Loo, Diggy Lay
- 14 May 2004
Thursday is going to be very bitty. Haircut, two new tyres on the car, meetings in London, hosting an evening with Ann Widdecombe in Chesham and then back to Swanton Abbott. Friday I am seeing some very go-ahead graphic designers in North Walsham who have come up with some ver...
Pudding Norton, Sainsbury's & Maggie
- 6 May 2004
I've just got back from Pudding Norton Parish Council. What a truly lovely bunch of people. The meeting took place at Fakenham Race Course, which was different! Earlier in the day I went to have a tour of Sainsbury's in North Walsham, where I was shown round by the very enthus...
Egg & Chips With Ann Widdecombe
- 2 May 2004
Friday was one of those days when a candidate chases his tail. Ann Widdecombe was due at 2pm but she took the wrong turning off the M25 and ended up coming to Cromer via the A1. When she got here I took her to Paston Sixth Form College in North Walsham. Peter Mayne, the very b...
A Quick Recap
- 30 Apr 2004
Tuesday: My first trip to London for some time and then down to West Sussex to buy some remainder books to sell on the Politico's website. Wednesday: Spent the morning working in the office before leaving for Manchester for An Evening with Ann Widdecombe. I meant to leave at...
The Week
- 26 Apr 2004
A HEART STOPPING MOMENT Took the train to London today and on the way back (standing all the way of course) I started reading Private Eye. I turned the page and there, staring out at me was my name. Gulp. Oh God, I thought, what have I done now. Racking my brain to think o...
A Visit From the Botti
- 24 Apr 2004
Who? Well, my friend Mark Fox, the candidate in Great Yarmouth informs me that the plural from Bottomley is 'Botti'. Who am I to argue. I collected them from the Furzedown Hotel in Yarmouth after breakfast and while Peter Bottomley went out on the streets of Hoveton with half ...
Radio Four Appearance Traps Lamb
- 20 Apr 2004
Last Thursday the Today Programme came to Cromer to interview me about the Listeners' Law poll on which I was a judge oiver Christmas. You may remember the so-called Tony Martin law won the day, yet Labour MP Stephen Pound reneged on his promise to introduce whchever law toppe...
Farmers Forum A Success
- 17 Apr 2004
Yesterday we had a visit from Shadow Agriculture Secretary John Whittingdale. We did an interview on North Norfolk Radio and then went to visit a farm near Saxthorpe run by Peter Seaman, who it is safe to describe as a real Norfolk character! We talked about his business and d...
Fame at Last & Losing Weight
- 4 Apr 2004
FAME AT LAST FOR THIS BLOG I didn't realise the nation's national newspaper journalists were avid readers of this Blog, but if you read today's Sunday Times you'll see I was wrong. It reports on my previous posting... "Is Iain Dale, owner of Politico's, absolutely sure...
Michael Howard Visits
- 30 Mar 2004
The leader of the Conservative Party began a two-day tour of Norfolk yesterday with a keen eye on the next general election. After visiting Cromer he faced questions from the Eastern Daily Press and took in a whistlestop tour of Norwich Market. ADAM GRETTON and KEIRON PIM repo...
A Response to Austin Mitchell over the Closure of Politico's
- 21 Mar 2004
Printed in the House Magazine Austin Mitchell is a man of many talents, but a businessman he ain’t. His attack on my decision to close Politico’s and change the business to an online and mail order business was littered with emotion and the kind of illogical arguments ...
Victim of Crime
- 17 Mar 2004
BANGED TO RIGHTS Had a great two hours this lunchtime on the Sandi Toksvig show on LBC. But then my day took a turn for the worse on my way back to Westminster... Here's a press release I've just issued... Iain Dale, Conservative Parliamentary Spokesman for North Norfo...
The Day After
- 16 Mar 2004
Quite how I managed to talk about poor Clare Barnes on News 24 last night I don't know. I was given a tip by a North Norfolk friend to think of pleasant things, then you get through it. The press coverage of Clare's death has been astonishing. It's interesting that the media c...
Devastating News
- 15 Mar 2004
Maybe this isn't the appropriate place to write about this, but I'm sitting here with tears streaming down my face having learnt that one of my former employees has been killed in a sky-diving accident in Australia. Clare Barnes was the daughter of my friend Denis MacShane (La...
Hello From Harrogate
- 6 Mar 2004
It's 1am and I'm downloading 24 hours worth of email, so I thought I'd type this in the foyer of the Moat House Hotel in Harrogate. This hotel typifies what's wrong with British hotels. It's a specialist conference centre hotel yet you can't even access the internet from your ...