Blog
Why Biden Must Go
- 17 Jul 2024
Napoleon Bonaparte always wanted ‘lucky generals’. In political terms, so-called ‘lucky politicians’ are more often than not, those who the history books consider a success. Joe Biden, it could be said is both lucky and unlucky – unlucky in the sense that he came to the presid...
Why Suella Braverman Must Be Stopped
- 10 Jul 2024
This article first appeared on iNews Never speak ill of a fellow conservative. This was sentiment Ronald Reagan echoed a few decades ago about his fellow Republicans. It seems, however, that despite being a self-described Thatcherite, and despite more than four decades of a...
The Future of the FOR THE MANY Podcast
- 7 Jul 2024
We all know that all good things come to an end at some point, and so it is with this era of the For the Many podcast. Why? Because Jacqui has been elevated to the House of Lords and has been appointed Minister of State for skills, further and higher education. I've discov...
It Was Piers Morgan Wot Won It & Other Lessons for the Conservative Party
- 5 Jul 2024
The best way to get the same outcome is to repeat the mistakes you’ve made in the past. And that’s what is about to happen to the Conservative Party. The last thing it needs after suffering such a crushing defeat is an immediate leadership election. Peter Lilley said shortl...
My 10 Predictions for the General Election
- 30 Jun 2024
Perhaps my enjoyment of this election campaign has been coloured by my dalliance with becoming a candidate at the start of it, but can anyone truly say they’ve enjoyed it, whether they’ve been a participant or an observer. The only “moments” of the campaign are when someone ha...
Is Starmergeddon Coming for the Tories?
- 23 Jun 2024
There are still ten full days of campaigning to go, yet virtually everyone on the right has given up hope of anything that will dent Labour’s seemingly impregnable likely majority. So naturally the papers are full of articles about what happens to the Tories in the aftermath o...
Lions Led by Donkeys - How the Tory Leadership Has Let Down the 'Poor Bloody Infantry'
- 16 Jun 2024
Lions led by donkeys. That was the title of a book by the late Alan Clark on the men who fought for Britain in the First World War. He could have also used the phrase ‘The poor bloody infantry’. It’s the Conservative leafleters and canvassers I most feel sorry for. When you’re...
Looking Forward to the Fowey Festival, 17-18 May
- 6 May 2024
I first appeared at the Fowey Festival at least 20 years ago. My role was to interview Ann Widdecombe about one of her novels. I fell in love with the place and went back to Fowey a couple of times afterwards. Last year I spoke at the Festival and on my way back br...
The Local Election Results: Some Reflections
- 5 May 2024
Over the last 43 years I’ve taken part in local elections first delivering leaflets, then as a canvasser, then a candidate, an election agent and latterly as a commentator and broadcaster. They never fail to surprise and entertain, and this year was no different. Over the y...
Israel/Gaza: Can't Make This Stuff Up
- 4 May 2024
A listener sent me this little polemic, which he had found on Twitter and then edited. It makes some interesting points, whatever stance you take on the conflict. Can’t make this stuff up Barbaric terrorist organisation attacks a democratic country, murders over a th...
My Review of TEN YEARS TO SAVE THE WEST by Liz Truss
- 21 Apr 2024
I don’t know about you, but I am fed up with book reviewers who lazily review the author of the book rather than the book itself. Many of them have clearly read barely a page of the book they’re supposed to be writing about, and instead vent their prejudices about the...
Me and My Books
- 12 Apr 2024
The Daily Mail runs a feature on Fridays called Me and My Books. This week they asked to contribute. Well, it would have been rude not to! WHAT BOOK… …are you reading now? I’ve got two on the go. I haven’t read a novel in years, but a few weeks ago I in...
Iain Becomes a Non-Executive Director of the Lending Standards Board
- 4 Apr 2024
I'm delighted to announce that today I'm joining the Lending Standards Board as a non-executive director, alongside Paul Johnson from the Institute for Fiscal Studies and charity leader Caron Bradshaw. The LSB is the self regulatory body for the banking and financial servi...
Announcing my 2024 Edinburgh Fringe Line-up
- 2 Apr 2024
This will be the fourth year I have hosted IAIN DALE ALL TALK at the Edinburgh Fringe and I'm delighted to be back! There are so far 13 shows booked, all at the Edinburgh International Conference Centre running from 3-11 August. A few more shows will be added over the next few...
A Lovely Weekend in Dublin
- 1 Apr 2024
I can honestly say that last weekend in Dublin was the most enjoyable I have had in many a month. Just about everything went right, and I didn’t even have any travel disasters. On my taxi journey from the airport to the hotel the driver decided to give me a lesson in Irish pol...
A Few Thoughts on the Political Consequences of the Budget
- 10 Mar 2024
Pre-election budgets are normally quite exciting both in their content and in their delivery. But to be exciting a budget needs a few surprises and at least one rabbit. It needs a bit of theatricality in the delivery. This budget had none of that. Virtually every measure had b...
The Consequences of George Galloway
- 3 Mar 2024
Dear all On a personal level I’ve always found George Galloway to be engaging company. We’ve had our run ins, but always parted as, well, maybe not friends, but… I remember one particularly feisty encounter on his Mother of all Talk Shows programme on a Friday night on...
The Fate of Mr Speaker
- 25 Feb 2024
Within the next 24 hours it is entirely possible that the House of Commons could be without a Speaker. I’m not predicting it will happen, but it’s not impossible to imagine Sir Lindsay Hoyle standing up at 2.30pm to announce that he feels he has lost the confidence of the Hous...
The End of Tory Days - My Analysis of the By-Election Results
- 17 Feb 2024
This article first appeared on Telegraph Online. Government loses two by-elections. Ordinarily that barely rates a headline. These, however, are not ordinary times. Poll after poll shows Labour heading for victory in the general election, and the results from Wellingborough...
A Tribute to Steve Wright
- 14 Feb 2024
It was just before 5pm. I was interviewing Lord Bilimoria for my ALL TALK podcast when I caught sight of a news alert on my phone. I couldn't believe what I was reading. Steve Wright had died. My brain went in several different directions. But I had to keep interviewing Lord B...