Attitude Column: Gay Men Have It Easy Compared to Lesbians
- 5 Oct 2014
Even in 2014 gay men in Britain still suffer discrimination and insults. It happens more rarely nowadays but there’s little doubt that there are still people around who believe homosexuals should expect to be treated badly because of our ‘perverted’ lifestyle. But gay men hav...
WATCH: And Tonight Matthew, I'm Going to Nena!
- 3 Oct 2014
Global’s Make Some Noise, the new charity supported by LBC, is asking everyone to make a lip sync video and donate £5 to help change young lives. All the LBC presenters will be taking part – and we want you to do your bit too. All you have to do is film yourself lip-syncing ...
VIDEO: Looking Back on Being a Candidate North Norfolk
- 3 Oct 2014
Please enable Javascript to watch this video This is a ten minute interview I did last week with Neil Perry of Mustard TV in Norwich, about my time as candidate in North Norfolk for the 2005 general election.
ConHome Diary: A Cock & Bull Story
- 3 Oct 2014
How quickly we forget. Spied walking into the ICC was Scottish Office Minister David Mundell, who was immediately offered a union jack flag by one of the myriad of people determined to press their wares on unsuspecting conference go-ers. Mundell, however, was having none of it...
Top 100 People on the Right 2014
- 1 Oct 2014
As our panel met there was only one thing on their minds, UKIP! The rise and rise of UKIP has baffled many in the media, and UKIP surpassed all expectations at this European Elections by topping the poll and bagging 24 MEPs. For this reason, we see a big influx of UKIPers on t...
Top 100 People on the Left 2014
- 28 Sep 2014
As our distinguished panel of politicians and pundits met to consider this year’s Top 100 People on the Left list, it was mainly concerned with the top ten positions. Would Ed hold onto top spot, or could he be usurped by, well, you’ll have to wait until tomorrow for that part...
Top 50 Liberal Democrats 2014
- 26 Sep 2014
Each year I assemble a group of experts to compile a list of the top fifty most influential Liberal Democrats; this year, the panel judged their performance since September 2013. Given the party’s awful performance in May – beaten into fifth place by the Greens in the European...
Julia Hartley-Brewer As You've Never Seen Her Before...
- 26 Sep 2014
Please enable Javascript to watch this video All LBC presenters are doing ‘Fake Some Noise’ for the new Global Radio ‘Make Some Noise’ charity. This is Julia’s.It’s brilliant. I have recorded one as well, but having seen Julia’s I think I might redo it. I’ve done 99 Red Ball...
ConHome Diary: Don't Even Ask, to Get On My Top 100 People on the Right List!
- 26 Sep 2014
I write this on the train back from Manchester having spent three days at the Labour Party conference. It was an odd affair. It was the quietest and most downbeat pre-election conference I think I have ever been to. Try as they might, they just couldn’t get the atmosphere goin...
ConHome: Despite the'No' Vote, Cameron Is Still On The Skids
- 19 Sep 2014
The devil in me really wanted the Yes Campaign to win. Not because I would necessarily have supported them, but because it would have been fascinating to see the fallout from a Yes result. We’ll never know now, but would the dire warnings of the Better Together campaign really...
EDP Column: On Scottish Independence My Heart Says Yes, My Head Says No
- 13 Sep 2014
My middle name is Campbell. My Christian name is spelt the Scottish way. I am a quarter Scottish. Believe it or not, I am a direct descendent of Robbie Burns through one of his illegitimate children. Strangely, though, I feel little affinity with the country of my ancestors. W...
ConHome Diary: Let's All Have a Referendum on Whether Scotland Should Keep the Pound
- 12 Sep 2014
So I wonder which crass Damian McBride wannabe in Downing Street was so stupid to send this text to Tim Montgomerie, late of this parish. It read: “Tim, “Just seen your Tweet. Do you want to be a Tory MP? No chance now.” Anyone who knows Tim knows that he has never wanted to b...
Remembering 9/11
- 11 Sep 2014
Thirteen years ago today, Al Qaeda committed a terrible act of terrorism in the United States, something which has gone down in history as 9/11. I think we all remember where we were when we found out about it. I was sitting at my desk on the balcony at Politico’s talking to ...
Attitude Column: The Idea That Gay Men Are More Likely to be Paedophiles Is Absurd
- 6 Sep 2014
Here we go again. Back in the 1960s and 1970s most people, bless them, took the view that the words ‘homosexual’ and ‘paedophile’ were more or less interchangeable. If your predilection were of the male on male variety you didn’t particularly differentiate between men and boys...
ConHome Diary: Will Cameron Have to Quit Over Scotland?
- 5 Sep 2014
So, only 13 days until Scotland decides its future. This referendum may have a far wider impact than just north of Hadrian’s Wall. Goldman Sachs are warning that the Pound may go into freefall, but the other impact could be on David Cameron and as a consequence the date of the...
Interviewing Joan Rivers
- 4 Sep 2014
I’m so sad to hear of the death of Joan Rivers. I saw her do a stand-up show in the 1990s but in October 2012 I had the honour of interviewing her on LBC. We decided it might be safest to pre-record (!) but she was absolutely charming. I don’t mind admitting I was petrified. ...
Two Days in Belgium
- 3 Sep 2014
Twenty years ago I took my father on a trip to the Normandy beaches, along with several other family and friends. It was a couple of weeks before the 50th anniversary of D-Day was commemorated. I am not exaggerating when I say it was one of the most memorable and enjoyable we...
ConHome Diary: The Day I Said No to Douglas Carswell
- 29 Aug 2014
Having been on holiday all week in Norfolk I am finding it slightly difficult to think of what to write about this week, so bear with me. * I am given to understand that while on his summer holidays in France, labour leader Ed Miliband has sprouted facial hair. How I would lo...
The Ice Box Challenge Has Run Its Course
- 26 Aug 2014
This more or less sums up my response to the Ice Box challenge. When it started I thought it was fun, and it was. It raised awareness of Motor Neurone Disease and that is a good thing. But it’s gone on too long now. So enough already. And yes I have donated.
ConHome Diary: Mayoroplane
- 22 Aug 2014
If each part of this diary column had its own headline, this one would be titled ‘Mayoroplane’. Back in 2008 in those halcyon days when Boris was a virgin mayor of London, he attracted his very own stalker. At every public event, or mayor’s questiontime, the same man would app...