ConHome Diary: Bullying Tories, I say 'Daesh', you say ISIS & More Travails for Mr Corbyn
- 20 Nov 2015
So Mark Clarke has been expelled from the Conservative Party. For life. Within minutes of that being announced by CCHQ I interviewed the father of Elliott Johnson, the young man who took his own life back in September, and who had made complaints (not acted on) by CCHQ. Ray Jo...
Why I call IS 'Daesh' and Will Continue to Do So...
- 18 Nov 2015
And it’s nothing to do with political correctness!
Sixteen Things Britain & The World Must Do To Beat ISIS/Daesh
- 14 Nov 2015
At times like this we all try to think about how we can beat those who seem intent not just on murdering innocent people but on attacking our very way of life. The bombing of the Russian plane and terrible events in Paris and Beirut demonstrate that the policy of trying to con...
Aujourd'hui, nous sommes tous français
- 14 Nov 2015
Beautiful video shows thousands of people singing French national anthem as they exit the Stade de France in Paris pic.twitter.com/QayDIXCnud — BreatheSport (@BreatheSport) November 14, 2015 This morning I woke up, looked through my Twitter timeline and shed a tear. ...
ConHome Diary: The Tory MP With Balls of Steel
- 13 Nov 2015
So, David Cameron’s letter to Donald Tusk… Where to start? Bear in mind that I write as someone who hasn’t yet made up his mind how to vote in the referendum, I find the whole thing a bit of a charade. Cameron’s speech at Chatham House outlining his renegotiation strategy was ...
ConHome Diary: Another Establishment Snub for Mrs T
- 6 Nov 2015
You couldn’t make it up. The Egyptian President started his visit to London yesterday, only hours after Britain had angered his government by cancelling all flights to Sharm-Al-Sheik. The resort’s bookings were already well done, with some hotels almost empty. This move will a...
ConHome Diary: The Naughty Table at the Margaret Thatcher Centre Dinner
- 30 Oct 2015
On Tuesday night I went to the Margaret Thatcher Centre dinner at the Guildhall, along with 400 others. What a fabulous venue. I had never been there before. It was quite an occasion and raised a huge amount of money to go towards funding the activities of the Centre. All the ...
New Statesman Diary: A Visit to Frankfurt & Being Nervous About Speaking German
- 24 Oct 2015
This week I have written a diary of the New Statesman. Here it is… * And so to the Frankfurt Book Fair. I’ve managed to escape going for the last four years, but this year I thought I’d better make the effort. My company, Biteback (publishers of THAT book on David ‘Hameron’) h...
ConHome Diary: When the PM Signed 'Call Me Dave' & A Tribute to Michael Meacher
- 23 Oct 2015
David Cameron seems to have become remarkably more relaxed about the Ashcroft/Oakeshott book CALL ME DAVE. On Monday he sat down in the Commons tea room with a group of Tory MPs for a chinwag, and noticed the book on the table. Keith Simpson had a copy as he is reviewing it fo...
It Shouldn't Happen to a Radio Presenter 40: When a Caller Tells You She Thinks You Should Be Killed...
- 21 Oct 2015
If you think the battle for gay equality is won, listen to this shocking call from Zainab, a 22 year old muslim woman who truly believes gay muslims (and presumably all other gays) should, a la Isis, be thrown off the top of buildings and be killed. She is followed by Soha...
Attitude Column: What Makes Long Term Relationships Work?
- 20 Oct 2015
At the end of August my partner, John, and I marked our twentieth anniversary together. In many ways this is unremarkable. Virtually every male couple I know are in very long term relationships – even friends of mine who are in their twenties or thirties seem to be destined to...
ConHome Diary: Sajid Javid's Charisma & Why Tom Watson Shouldn't Be Unreservedly Condemned
- 16 Oct 2015
It was obviously a cunning plan by the Prime Minister to let Jeremy Corbyn get the better of him at PMQs yesterday. A clear sign of the government’s ‘Keep Corbyn in Place’ plan. Clearly. * I’m writing this diary in my hotel room in Frankfurt, the very definition of a soulless ...
It Shouldn't Happen to a Radio Presenter 39: And Over to the Travel
- 10 Oct 2015
For reasons best known to myself I have always wanted to read a travel bulletin. Well, on Thursday I did! I blackmailed James Rea, Managing Editor of LBC, into letting me do it on Shelagh Fogarty’s show by offering to donate money to the Global Radio Make Some Noise Appeal. He...
ConHome Diary: The Tory MP Who Imagines Boris & Putin Mudrestling
- 9 Oct 2015
The Conservative conference was never going to be exciting. Party strategists decided to make it as boring as possible. Yes, there would be the odd big policy announcement, but in general if the Tories could escape Manchester with no adverse headlines, it would be a job well d...
The Top 100 Most Influential People on the Right 2015
- 6 Oct 2015
(+1) David Cameron Prime Minister Having won an unexpected majority at the election, David Cameron takes over the top place in this list once again, having lost it to both Nigel Farage and George Osborne in recent years. He now has two to three years to create a last...
ConHome Diary: Number Ten Bans Ministers From Ashcroft Book Launch
- 2 Oct 2015
The Labour conference was an odd experience, but I suspect next year’s will be even odder. Out with the smart suited twenty something men. In with the Trots. That’s if Jeremy Corbyn survives that long. My own view is that he will, but it was astonishing that more or less every...
It Shouldn't Happen to a Radio Presenter 38: When an Interviewee Goes Rogue...
- 30 Sep 2015
Yesterday on my LBC show I did something I’ve never done before. I terminated an interview because the guest wouldn’t stop ranting and refused to engage with the questions I was putting. We were discussing whether Britain should pay reparations to Jamaica for its part in t...
The Top 100 People on the Left 2015
- 29 Sep 2015
(NEW) Jeremy Corbyn Leader of the Labour Party There is no doubt that Jeremy Corbyn’s election to Labour’s leadership has changed the political weather. He’s galvanised the Labour left in a way no one has since Tony Benn or Ken Livingstone. But can he stick to his pr...
Book Review: Roy Jenkins - A Well Rounded Life by John Campbell
- 27 Sep 2015
It’s taken me several months to read this magnificent authorised biography of Roy Jenkins. I thought I knew all there was to know about the man whose tenure as Home Secretary heralded the so-called ‘permissive society’ and went on to lead the SDP, but I was wrong. My bedtimes...
ConHome Diary: The Truth About Me, Michael Ashcroft, Isabel Oakeshott & THAT Book!
- 25 Sep 2015
Well, this week certainly has not been dull. And as with any roller coaster ride, it’s had its highs, its lows, and I’m still a bit dazed. I published and was then damned! Some of you will say, “serves you right, you shouldn’t publish books that question anything about David ...