"Before she died she opened her eyes and smiled."
- 21 Apr 2020
This is an email I received last night from a listener called Simon. Earlier this evening I read it out on my show with his full permission. He has also said I can post it here. Dear Iain, You don’t know me, but I know you had a close bond with your mother. On Tuesd...
Long Read Interview with Mathew Hulbert on Coronavirus, the Media & Much More
- 18 Apr 2020
Last weekend I spent an hour doing a long interview over Whatsapp with LibDem blogger Mathew Hulbert. You can find his blog HERE and follow him on Twitter HERE. MH: Iain Dale, welcome to my blog. ID: Nice of you to invite me! MH: This must be a career highlight! ID...
Ten People With Whom I'd Like to Have Lunch
- 16 Apr 2020
I'm very lucky that in my personal and professional life I have met all sorts of interesting people - some famous, most not so much. I have had one on one lunches with people I would never have dreamed of meeting let alone breaking bread with. The older I get, the less intimid...
Ten Things I've Never Done (Some of Which You'll Be Horrified By...)
- 14 Apr 2020
I've never had a Kebab I've never seen an episode of The Simpsons or South Park I've never read any Charles Dickens I've never eaten Cod or Skate (or indeed most kinds of fish) I've never drunk a pint of beer I've never been to Asia (Two hour layovers in Bangkok o...
Iain Reads from 'The Magic Faraway Tree' by Enid Blyton
- 13 Apr 2020
When I was a child I was raised on the books of Enid Blyton. She has sold an incredible 600 million books. She was of my grandmother's generation and lived from 1897-1968. She was perhaps most famous for her series of books on Noddy, the Famous Five and the Secret Seven. A...
Boris is Back, Journos Disappearing Up Their Own Fundamentals & Why the Death Toll Needs More Explanation
- 13 Apr 2020
So there I was – broadcasting from home on Monday. It was about 8.10pm, and I had just finished interviewing the new Shadow Home Secretary, Nick Thomas-Symonds. I switched from my email to the Google document on which my producer writes instructions. There it was in bla...
A Reader Writes... My Struggle to Return to the UK From Thailand
- 29 Mar 2020
I've been getting a lot of emails from people telling me of their difficulties during this Coronavirus crisis. A lot of them are from British nationals struggling to get back to this country. On Wednesday on my show I talked to Peter in Peru who was having great difficulties. ...
If 24 Hour News Channels Had Existed in 1944
- 29 Mar 2020
This appeared in my ConservativeHome Diary this week. To read the rest, click HERE. There isn’t a sector of society or the economy that hasn’t changed over the last month. Even politicians of different parties are being nice to each other and acting in a partisan way. ...
Coronavirus: The Co-Parenting Challenges Facing Divorced Parents
- 27 Mar 2020
When the Prime Minister made his address to the nation on Monday evening he stated in clear terms that households should not now visit relatives with whom they do not live. Many divorced parents must have wondered how that would affect contact with their children. The follo...
Ten Books To Get You Through Coronavirus
- 25 Mar 2020
The Fog by James Herbert This book taught me more about sex than any other. It's a horror story about a fog which causes people to do, well, some "interesting" things. I'll never forget the gym scene! Power Trip by Damian McBride In the top 5 of the 600 books ...
We All Need to Take the Strain Off the NHS
- 22 Mar 2020
It's quite clear that the NHS is soon going to come under intolerable pressure. The least we can all do is to try to not burden it with unnecessary visits. I got an email from a listener, Sam, a few minutes ago. We all need to think like Sam... Love the show I have been a...
Book Update: Publication Date of WHY CAN'T WE ALL JUST GET ALONG Delayed Until August
- 20 Mar 2020
As many of you will know, I have a book coming out this year, all about the decline in public discourse. I learned yesterday that the publishers, HarperCollins, have decided to postpone publication from 28 May to 6 August. I wholly understand (and support) the decision. Eve...
Ten Ways to Help You Survive Twelve Weeks of Self-Isolation
- 20 Mar 2020
Watch 120 episodes of MADAM SECRETARY on Amazon Prime. It's like West Wing and with a Secretary of State who saves the world in every episode. Great feelgood telly Download every song ever made by MANGO GROOVE and play them on a loop Watch all five series of OUTLAN...
Something Must be Done to Help Individuals and Business. But What?
- 18 Mar 2020
In every crisis there's always a cry from the media and the general public for 'action this day'. The 'Something Must Be Done' crowd are in full cry. And when something is 'done', it's rarely ever considered to be enough. Yesterday the government announced a raft of measur...
Why I'm in 'Spendid Isolation' and Broadcasting from Home
- 17 Mar 2020
Given the government’s advice yesterday, I am now in what I am calling Splendid Isolation. Why? Because I am a type 2 diabetic and therefore in a high risk group. The government advice is that anyone in a high risk group – ie the elderly those with diabetes or a respiratory...
Coronavirus: Why Schools Should Stay Open & The Country Shouldn't Be Put in Lockdown - Yet
- 14 Mar 2020
You will have seen Professor John Ashton on your TV screens over the last few days, or heard him on your radio. He certainly talks a good game, and on the surface makes some good points when he criticises the government's entire policy over Coronavirus. The trouble was, his ma...
Coronavirus: Nudge, Action This Day & the Need to Minimise Risk
- 14 Mar 2020
One of the big debates that we should be having is the conflict between the power of the state and the responsibility of the individual. Throughout the Coronavirus crisis there have been constant calls for the government to take action - usually quite drastic action. There's n...
The BBC Must Redefine its Mission & Get on the Front Foot
- 9 Mar 2020
About a month ago I was asked to contribute to an instant new book on the future of the BBC. Last week it was published by Bite-Sized Books as an eBook and £6.99 paperback, under the title Is the BBC Peril? Does it Deserve to be? Other contributors include John Simpson, Gillia...
The Priti Patel Affair - "I'm Assertive. You're a Bully. Discuss"
- 9 Mar 2020
This is from my ConservativeHome column, published on Friday. Dominic Cummings took great pleasure in fighting the ‘Education Blob’ when he was one of Michael Gove’s SPADs at the Department of Education some years ago. That fight is now being reprised with the whole of the ...
It's Time to Reverse the Decline in NHS Bed Numbers (UPDATED)
- 8 Mar 2020
Back in January 2018, I wrote a long article looking at the issue of the decline in the number of hospital beds since the 1980s. It provoked a lot of reaction, and I know both Jeremy Hunt and Jonathan Ashworth read it. The Coronavirus crisis has brought the subject back into t...