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...
The Bedford Mayoral Primary Aftermath
- 21 Oct 2009
I didn't write about the Bedford mayoral election last week as I was concentrating on Bracknell, so allow me to share a few thoughts now. Much has been written about the Open Primary, most of it derogatory and blaming it for the fact that the LibDems pipped the Conservatives t...
All Women Shortlists - Not in my Name
- 20 Oct 2009
I agreed with much of what David Cameron had to say about attracting a more diverse range of Conservative candidates. Much progress has been made in this direction, not just over the last three years, but over the last ten. The selection methods which were instituted under Iai...
Reflecting on Bracknell & Moving On
- 18 Oct 2009
First of all, I have been overwhelmed over the last 24 hours by all the emails, texts, tweets and blog comments people have left. 98% of them have been very nice and almost made me feel like I am reading my own obituary! Yesterday was a a very good one for Bracknell Conserv...
Telegraph Column: Who'd Want to be an MP?
- 14 Oct 2009
Admitting that you want to be an MP in the present climate marks you out as either a social misfit or someone suffering from delusions. I have almost got to the stage of feeling I should attend a meeting of Politicians Anonymous to bare my soul. My name is Iain and I want to b...
Winning an Award
- 13 Oct 2009
This morning I won an award. I've never won one before, so I'm feeling rather euphoric. It was the EI Online Commentator of the Year. I was shortlisted with Guido Fawkes and Chris Dillow of Stumbling & Mumbling. The event was entertainingly compered by style guru Peter Yor...
Interview with Michael Kaminski
- 10 Oct 2009
On Wednesday morning I interviewed Michal Kaminski for Total Politics. He is the leader of the new European Reform Group in the European Parliament and has become a very controversial figure. I went into the interview with an open mind. I came out absolutely convinced that Kam...
Reflections on the 2009 Conservative Conference
- 8 Oct 2009
First of all, a heartfelt apology. I know I have been a useless blogger this week. I always find it difficult to do good blogging at conferences. This year, for some reason, I just couldn't motivate myself to blog much. It was partly that I didn't go into the conference hall m...
Why Prisoner Rehabilitation Matters
- 7 Oct 2009
It's always good to step outside your comfort zone, and last night I did that in spades, when I formed part of the cabaret for the Arts Alliance Music in Prisons fringe event. My participation stemmed from THIS blogpost I wrote back in November 2008, when I criticised Jack Str...
In Praise of Party Agents
- 4 Oct 2009
Yesterday evening I gave an after dinner speech at the Conservative Conference to 180 party agents and their guests. I will admit to being somewhat nervous at the prospect having been to one or two of these boozy events in the past. However, I shouldn't have worried as they we...
In Conversation with Michal Kaminski
- 2 Oct 2009
This interview was conducted in early October 2009 and appeared in Total Politics Magazine ID: What does it feel like to have become the new hate figure for the British left? MK: I have put myself in a very strange situation! But I can tell you that if the foreign...
The Hateful Daily Mail
- 1 Oct 2009
Just by writing this blogpost, I will probably damage my chances in Bracknell. Some will say 'if you can't take the heat...'. But I am damned if I am going to stay silent when I see a national newspaper indulge in a homophobic attack on me. A year ago, the Richard Kay column i...
Top 100 People on the Right 2009
- 1 Oct 2009
In the annual list of the 100 most influential people on the left or right of British politics, we nearly put someone we do not know the identity of at number 2 in both lists. We will call him Deep Moat - the Whitehall whistleblower who shook British politics to its foundation...