The Lady's Not For Hurdling
- 1 May 2013
I wonder how Clegg, Cameron or Miliband would have replied. How high?
Why Do We Give Aid to a Fellow G20 Member?
- 1 May 2013
The increasingly hapless Justine Greening, who has largely disappeared off the political radar since her unwanted move from Transport to International Development, seems to have inadvertently upset the South Africans. She has announced that Britain’s aid to the country will ce...
The Real Winners on Thursday Could be the LibDems
- 28 Apr 2013
I’ve been thinking about the local elections and I have come to a rather surprising conclusion. It seems to me that the Tories are frit. Frit of UKIP. The fact that they have put up more than 1730 candidates tells its own story. In a sense, even if none of those candidates do...
President Obama Being Funny
- 28 Apr 2013
This is Barack Obama speaking at the White House Correspondents Dinner. Why on earth do we have nothing similar here? It’s an opportunity for the President to poke fun at himself, and boy does he grasp it with both hands. George W Bush was superb at these events too.
ConservativeHome Diary Week 3: Theresa May & Little Miss Popular
- 26 Apr 2013
I’ve never seen Theresa May as a political risk taker, but she certainly seem to be placing all her chips on red in her bid to rid us of the turbulent priest, Abu Qatada. As far as her political reputation goes it really is s*** or bust. If, in the end, he is plonked in steera...
It Shouldn't Happen to a Radio Presenter: No 7 - Beware of Breaking News on Twitter
- 23 Apr 2013
I love a breaking news story. The adrenaline flows. You never know what’s going to happen next. It’s the biggest challenge a talk radio presenter can face – especially when it concerns a subject you have less than a passing acquaintance with. One thing is for sure, as a radio ...
A Question of English
- 23 Apr 2013
Shame on Penguin’s Allen Lane imprint. My copy of Charles Moore’s biography of Margaret Thatcher arrived this morning. This is its cover. In many ways it is a wonderfully designed cover. It has a very velvety feel and the typography is superb. But I am afraid I am appalled th...
ConservativeHome Diary Week 2: People Watching & What Did Ed Miliband Say to Lord Ashcroft?
- 19 Apr 2013
One of the great pleasures in life is people watching. There’s nothing I like better than to sit in Central Lobby in Parliament and just watch the world go by. Just seeing who is meeting whom can be very educational. And so it was at St Paul’s Cathedral on Wednesday. Who shou...
Radio Discussion: The Thatcher Legacy
- 19 Apr 2013
A 28 minute discussion on the Voice of Russia about the legacy of Margaret Thatcher, chaired by Brendan Cole. Participants are Michael Cockerell, Peter Tatchell, Guardian Letters editor Nigel Willmott and me. It’s a rather good listen, I think. Peter Tatchell keeps calling m...
Why Is TV News So Obsessed With America?
- 18 Apr 2013
The Boston bombing was of course a big news story. But if it had occurred in Jakarta or Seoul, would it have even been reported at all? Similarly, if a fertiliser plant in Malaysia, rather than Texas, had blown up, would it have rated a mention on the BBC or Sky? Our news broa...
Lady Thatcher's Funeral in Eight Minutes
- 17 Apr 2013
listen to ‘Margaret Thatcher's Funeral: Highlights Of The Day From LBC 97.3’ on Audioboo This is a 6 minute montage of LBC’s coverage of Lady Thatcher’s funeral. It’s a bit of a tear jerker. In fact, when I played it at the beginning of today’s show, I then had to do a four ...
What The Papers Say - Margaret Thatcher Edition
- 15 Apr 2013
If you click HERE you can listen to me presenting What the Papers Say. The whole progamme was devoted to coverage of the death of Margaret Thatcher, as you might imagine. Hope you like the ending :)
Interview With the Bookseller Magazine
- 12 Apr 2013
Published in this week’s Bookseller Magazine, article by Tom Tivnan. Having stood as the Conservative candidate in Norfolk North in 2005 and been on the Tory shortlist in another handful of constituencies, Iain Dale is no stranger to giving speeches. But the Biteback Pu...
ConservativeHome Diary Week 1: Cameron & Pritchard & Friends of Dorothy
- 12 Apr 2013
Each Friday I am writing a diary column for ConservativeHome. It’s posted there at 8.30, and will appear here around 2.30 the same day. I hope you enjoy it. Lovely graphic they’ve come up with, don’t you think? Makes me feel 30 again! David Cameron seems to be embarking on a...
Happy 100th Birthday to the New Statesman
- 11 Apr 2013
This week marks the centenary of the New Statesman. You might be surprised to know that I have a subscription to the magazine. It usually features some very strong writing, even if I disagree with most of it. They asked me to contribute a piece to a feature they are running i...
A Lovely Sony-tastic Surprise
- 11 Apr 2013
Being recognised by your peers is something I suppose we all appreciate, so when I was told today that I had been nominated for a Sony Radio Award, you can imagine how I greeted the news. I’ve been shortlisted for the Speech Radio Programme of the Year award for my LBC show. ...
It Shouldn't Happen to a Radio Presenter: No 6 - Reluctant Guests
- 9 Apr 2013
I’m afraid I indulged in a bit of Twitter bullying this evening. There’s nothing I hate more than some idiot know-it-all PR idiot being rude to one the team who produce my Drivetime show. In our first hour tonight we covered the resignation of the Kent Youth Police & Crime...
The Indefatigability of George Galloway
- 9 Apr 2013
By and large I avoided Twitter yesterday, but when I broadcast I always have it on in front of me as it’s a great resource for ‘breaking news’ stories. I decided to block anyone who appeared in my timeline who was gratuitously insulting Margaret Thatcher. I have no objection t...
Another Margaret Thatcher Memory
- 9 Apr 2013
Back in 2009 I wrote this piece for the New Statesman, which was a collection of recollections about where people were the moment they heard Margaret Thatcher had resigned as Prime Minister. The night before Margaret Thatcher’s resignation, I remember having had rows with...