Brown Copies Foot Election Strategy
- 7 Jan 2010
The election strategy being fought by Gordon Brown and his team reminds me of that followed by Michael Foot in 1983. These cosy little household chats which Brown is doing every day are exactly what Foot did in 1983, partly in order to keep him away from the media. Foot did hi...
What Next?
- 7 Jan 2010
Many things remain unclear, but let's stick to what we know. We know that David Cameron has said he believes there should be a "strong governmment in the national interest". We also know that Nick Clegg has said that he would first talk to the party which has most seats and mo...
Book Review: Shirley Williams' Autobiography
- 6 Jan 2010
This is a political autobiography which has had some mixed reviews. Some reviewers thought that Shirley Williams hadn't dished enough dirt. She was even nice about David Owen, wrote one disappointed reviewer. But isn't that the point? An autobiography is supposed to reflect th...
My Top Ten Westminster Novels
- 3 Jan 2010
When it comes to reading political novels I always enjoy a plot which centres around Parliament. I started to write a political novel myself a few years ago (which unbelievably featured Charles Kennedy as Foreign Secretary oin a Tory led coalition!) but only wrote one chapter....
My New Year's Resolutions for 2010
- 1 Jan 2010
It's only natural to re-evaluate a few things at the beginning of a new year. I'm not sure I believe in making new year's resolutions, but I'm going to make a few new year's aspirations. Here goes... 1. To make more of a consistent effort to watch my weight 2. To recogn...
Book Review: Something Sensational to Read In The Train by Gyles Brandreth
- 1 Jan 2010
I've said it before, and I will say it again, Gyles Brandreth's diaries BREAKING THE CODE are the best political book of the last decade. So when I bought his new volume of diaries SOMETHING SENSATIONAL TO READ IN THE TRAIN I was almost salivating. The book covers 1959 to the ...
Will 2010 Be the Year of the Left of Centre Blogs?
- 31 Dec 2009
In a thought provoking article for this week's New Statesman, James Crabtree (Deputy Editor of Prospect Magazine) asserts that the left wing blogosphere will come of age in 2010 and will finally catch up with the success of blogs on the right. I don't buy the argument that ...
Ten Predictions for 2010
- 30 Dec 2009
1. Andy Murray will reach the Wimbledon final 2. The Conservatives will win the election with a majority of between 20 and 50 3. VAT will go up to 20% at some point this year 4. Britain will lose its AAA credit status 5. West Ham will not be relegated 6. Ed Miliband will ...
Ten Blog Headlines You Won't See in 2010
- 30 Dec 2009
Gordon Brown is the Man to Win Us the Election Tom Harris Jack Straw Should Lose His Job Left Foot Forward My Fellow LibDem Bloggers Are Such Nice People Norfolk Blogger LIBDEM COUNCILLOR IN SCANDAL Mark Pack OBAMA WAS RIGHT ON HEALTHCARE Donal Blaney I Pro...
Wild at Heart & Looking Forward
- 26 Dec 2009
You know how it is, you’re looking forward to a quiet night of vegging in front of the TV and then your partner utters the dreadful words, “right, we’re switching over so I can watch a programme I want for a change.” Your heart sinks, knowing that the next hour is to be spent ...
Trumping Lady Trumpington
- 14 Dec 2009
Baroness Trumpington is an institution. Today, while debating the Equality Bill, she made a very good point about House of Lords titles. The wife of a peer becomes known as Lady x, but the husband of a female peer remains plain Mister. You may very think that more serious issu...
In Conversation with Lord Pearson
- 10 Dec 2009
This interview was conducted in December 2009 and appeared in Total Politics magazine. So what on earth made you decide to stand for leadership of UKIP? There was quite a lot of arm twisting from a number of leading people within the party and from several of t...
Programmes You'll Never See on the BBC
- 27 Nov 2009
From now on, BBC1 is to be rebranded DAVE. And here's the programme schedule for Day One*... 6am The Big Breakfast with Eric Pickles 10.00am Bargain Jeremy Hunt 10.30am This Morning with Ann & Nick Winterton 11.30am Grumpy Old Tories with Sir Peter & Sir Patrick ...
We Musn't be Afraid of Risk
- 7 Nov 2009
If you were a teacher, would you seriously think about taking pupils on a school trip? With all the 'elf & safety' provisions that now exist you'd have to be either brave or stupid to take kids on the kind of foreign trips and geography field trips I went on in the 1970s. ...
In at 66...
- 6 Nov 2009
After yesterday's disappointment with the PCC ruling, today is another day, and a rather brighter one. I've just been flicking through the December issue of GQ Magazine and have been reading their list of the 100 Most Influential Men in Britain. It's an intriguing list, not le...
PCC Verdict on Dale v The Daily Mail
- 5 Nov 2009
On 30 September, the Daily Mail printed a story about me in its Ephraim Hardcastle Diary column. This is what it said... Overtly gay Tory blogger Iain Dale has reached the final stage of parliamentary selection for Bracknell, telling PinkNews: 'I hope any PinkNews readers w...
EDP Column: Why Liz Truss Deserves the Support of SW Norfolk Tories
- 31 Oct 2009
“I suppose you’re going to pour some kerosene on the South West Norfolk selection in your EDP column,” said one local MP to me yesterday, rather miserably. Much as I might like to indulge in some more hyperbole, I shall do my best to resist temptation and try to offer some mat...
In Conversation with Vince Cable
- 28 Oct 2009
This interview was conducted in late 2009 and appeared in Total Politics Magazine You’ve published one book this year. Two would seem to be a bit much, what’s Free Radical about? The second one is personal. It’s different experiences of life, and it’s partly a written...
Why Liz Truss Must Pull Through
- 27 Oct 2009
Imagine it. A political party selects a candidate who in her past has had an affair. Shock, horror. According to the Eastern Daily Pressyesterday, South West Norfolk Conservatives are in the mood to deselect Liz Truss, only three days after she was selected as their PPC. Why? ...
Thoughts on Candidate Selection
- 25 Oct 2009
When I applied for Bracknell I made much of the fact that I hadn't applied for other constituencies. None of the other candidates were able to say that. A fat lot of good it did me! It also meant that when the next batch of constituencies were advertised (Esher, Gosport, Deviz...