The Definition of Leadership
- 26 Jan 2009
Erik Jendresen was the supervising producer of the wonderful series BAND OF BROTHERS. I have just come across a note I was sent some years ago by the man who inspired the series, Richard Winters (played in the series by Damian Lewis). I had written to Mr Winters to tell him wh...
In Conversation with Ken Olisa
- 23 Jan 2009
This interview was conducted in early 2009 and appeared in Total Politics magazine. Ken Olisa was a board member of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (IPSA). How many people work at IPSA? We're going through a staged change. We top-loaded the staff t...
Meeting Margaret Thatcher
- 14 Jan 2009
I went to the Carlton Club this evening for a drinks party hosted by Liam Fox. I was delighted to see Lady Thatcher arrive and looking absolutely fantastic. For a woman of 83 and supposedly in frail health, she looked absolutely stunning. I had a couple of minutes talking t...
The Beauty & Illogicality of Language
- 11 Jan 2009
Something I learned studying for my degree in Linguistics (and German) is that language is something which evolves over time, and often for no apparent reason. Some of the commenters on my earlier post about Prince Harry have accused politically correct leftists of turning the...
Tories Launch New Online Strategy
- 10 Jan 2009
A couple of days ago Tim Montgomerie wrote about a new Conservative web initiative which is launching this Friday. It's the first tangible sign that Sam Coates has quickly brought a new campaigning aspect to the Tories' web presence and very welcome it is too. As Labour lea...
Derek Draper Launches Labour List
- 9 Jan 2009
Gaby Hinsliff has the STORY for tomorrow's Observer that the much vaunted Derek Draper blog initiative launches this week. Draper himself will be the editor and seems to be modelling it very much on ConservativeHome. It's called LabourList.org and will call into question the f...
Today: The Carol Thatcher Interview
- 4 Jan 2009
I'm not sure that the Today Programme got the dust up they were looking for this morning. I was supposed to be on with Amanda Platell, but she was replaced at the last minute by Michael Eboda from New Nation. He duly took the line that it seemed to be a bit of a fuss about not...
The Perils of Selling a Used Car
- 30 Dec 2008
We have just had a visited from Her Majesty's Constabulary. "Do you own an Audi, Sir?" asked the WPC? "Well, if you look behind you, you'll see three of them!" I jauntily replied. "Is one of them registration number GU... XXX?" "Yes, the A4 over there," I pointed out. "We're t...
Israel is Right to Defend Its People
- 29 Dec 2008
Hamas are a bunch of murderous thugs. Over the past few years they have fired 5,000 rockets on Israel from residential parts of the Gaza strip, killing and injuring dozens of innocent Israelis. Israel has done its best not to react, but in the end their patience has snapped - ...
Ten Predictions for 2009
- 29 Dec 2008
Ten Predictions for 2009 1. There won't be an election. 2. Unemployment will top 3 million by the end of the year. 3. Damian Green will not face charges. 4. Ed Balls will be Chancellor by the end of the year. 5. Ken Clarke will join the Shadow Cabinet. David Davis won't...
Ten Bloglines You Won't See in 2009?
- 27 Dec 2008
WOULD THE PM MIND MOST AWFUL IF I SOLICITED HIS RESIGNATION? Devil's Kitchen CONGRATULATIONS TO PRESIDENT OBAMA ON HIS INAUGURATION Donal Blaney WHY WE ARE BACKING LIVERPOOL FOR THE CHAMPIONSHIP Dizzy & Norfolk Blogger IAIN DALE CAN STUFF HIS LINKS Tom Harris ...
Revisiting Christmas Way Back When
- 24 Dec 2008
I find that as I get older I find it far more difficult to get into the Christmas spirit. Not because I am at all Scrooge-like, before you get the wrong idea, but more because I suppose I'd quite like Christmases to be exactly how I remember them as a child. Not going to happe...
My Book of the Year - Nicky Campbell's 'Blue Eyed Son'
- 23 Dec 2008
I feel a bit bereft. You know that feeling when you finish a book that you never wished would end? I've got that now. This instant. Four years ago I bought a book I probably thought I'd never end up reading. You know, one of those books which looks quite interesting, but there...
Why Doesn't the Pope Just Join the BNP & Have Done With It?
- 23 Dec 2008
The Pope considers homosexuality as "damaging to the future of the world as the destruction of the rain forests". I wonder if he thinks it is as damaging to the world as the Nazi Party was. This all comes on top of his comments from earlier this year, when he described homosex...
I'm Trying to Keep the Economy Alive, But...
- 22 Dec 2008
I just went down to Curry's to buy a 160GB iPod. No luck. Apparently they only make a 120GB one now, or so they told me. That's no good to me. I have more than 30,000 songs on my hard drive. So I went next door to PC World. Excellent. They had one on display, although no stock...
How (Not) To Deal With Abusive Thirteen Year Olds
- 20 Dec 2008
It's odd being me sometimes. This lunchtime I popped down to the BBC South East studios in Tunbridge Wells to do a quick live piece on their lunchtime news programme. They then wanted to do a recorded package for the evening news programme. The reporter took me out into Calver...
Blocked by Tom Watson
- 18 Dec 2008
Well this was a bit of a surprise. As you know, I am a bit of a late convert to Twitter. I don't follow the Twitter activities of a huge number of people (around 50) but I tried to add Labour blogging Minister Tom Watson to that list this afternoon. But up came the following r...
Will Young to Appear on Question Time
- 18 Dec 2008
Last night on Radio 5 Live's Stephen Nolan Show I took part in a 15 minute discussion on ... wait for it ... whether it is right for Will Young to appear as a guest on Question Time. Question Time had issued an embargoed press release about him appearing on a show in the New Y...
Will Derek Draper Be "Labour's Iain Dale"?
- 17 Dec 2008
My invite to Derek Draper's blogging breakfast seems to have got lost in the post. Guido and Harry Phibbs have all the details so I won't go into inordinate detail. But one thing struck me about the whole event. Doesn't it just illustrate the differences between the two phi...
Whatever Happened to my Telegraph Column
- 5 Dec 2008
Thanks to those of you have been emailing asking what's happened to my Daily Telegraphcolumn. I started it in February 2007 and have been writing it every fortnight since then, alternating with John Kampfner. However, the Telegraph have decided (and I rather agree with them) t...