Blog
It Shouldn't Happen to a Radio Presenter 63: Interviewing Michael Foot
- 20 Sep
Thirty five years ago, in the middle of the 1983 election campaign, I was heckling Michael Foot at a packed election meeting in a disused church in Norwich. He, of course loved it, and I helped turned a pedestrian election speech into a humdinger. I wrote to Michael Foot afte...
How I Might Have Become a Lebanese Hostage
- 19 Sep
I was reading an article on the train home about modern day Beirut. My thoughts immediately turned to a visit I made to Lebanon some 26 years ago, in 1992, not long after the British hostages had been freed. Indeed, I was told during my visit to Beirut that I was the first Bri...
You Can Take the Boy out of Ashdon...
- 18 Sep
I was browsing through some old files on my laptop, when I stumbled across this piece I wrote for the Ashdon village magazine back in the summer of 2013. They say ‘it takes a village’ and Ashdon was my village. It was where I spent the first 18 years of my life. I still regard...
Ten Books I've Enjoyed...
- 18 Sep
Ten days ago I was challenged on Facebook by Jonathan Isaby to think of ten books I’ve enjoyed reading and to post the covers - one every day for ten days, and each day challenge someone else to do so. There was no need to review the book or say why I had enjoyed it. This is ...
Could Theresa May Call a 'Put Up or Shut Up' Vote of Confidence In Herself?
- 17 Sep
I wonder whether Theresa May is considering doing a John Major. OK, it wouldn’t be the first time, I hear you snigger at the back. Could she be considering calling a ‘put up or shut up’ vote of confidence in her time. It would be done on the basis that the ‘leadership issue’ b...
Ten Podcasts I Listen To... (And Why Few Of Them Are Political)
- 16 Sep
The term “podcasting” was first invented by Guardian columnist Ben Hammersley in February 2004. But podcasts didn’t really take off in any meaningful way until years later. I only really started listening to podcasts around four or five years ago. Nowadays, they can be big bus...
The 'Iain Dale's Book Club' Weekly Podcast Has Launched!
- 15 Sep
When I talked to James Rea, my boss at LBC, about moving to the evening show, I said I’d like to present a books hour. He suggested we do it as a podcast so we needn’t be constrained by format, length or commercial breaks. Two months later I am delighted to tell you that we’re...
'Politics Live' - The New Kid on the Political Media Block
- 14 Sep
News junkies are conservative beasts. Whether it’s radio presenters moving to a different slot (!) or political TV shows being axed and then reincarnated, listeners and viewers tend to be very suspicious of change. They jump to conclusions before the first show has even been t...
When You Find Out You've Got a Haitus Hernia...
- 14 Sep
Some of you will have read an article I wrote a few days ago, which explained the fact that I have had a persistent cough for the last month, and in addition I’ve lost a lot of weight, and also lost my appetite. If you missed it, read it HERE. This morning I went into the Spi...
How Can HMRC Defend Retrospective Taxation Going Back 20 Years?
- 13 Sep
This week on my CROSS QUESTION show we had a fairly robust discussion which ended with a text question on something which on the face of it is very unfair. Thousands of self-employed people are being harassed by HMRC for thousands of pounds – in many cases tens of thousands o...