The 1970 General Election Video Collection
- 24 Feb 2019
ITN Profile of Edward Heath First Time Voters Report from Glasgow Cathcart How to vote - a public information film BBC Election Night Coverage Robin Day flirts with Miss Janet Fookes David Dimbleby Interviews Harold Wilson the morni...
We Are Moving Towards a 'Total Eclipse of the Government'
- 23 Feb 2019
I don't know what to do and I'm always in the dark We're living in a powder keg and giving off sparks I really need you tonight Forever's gonna start tonight I'm torn. This morning, three cabinet ministers wrote an article in the Daily Mail which was in total opposition ...
Ten Life Enhancers & Why Are They Always So Cheerful?
- 23 Feb 2019
There's a delightful little paragraph in Chris Mullin's diary, which has set me thinking... David Puttnam's final outing as chancellor of the university. A delightful man. One of that small band of life enhancers of my acquaintance (others include Liz Forgan and Charles B...
Is The Independent Group Destined to Become a Pub Quiz Question in History?
- 23 Feb 2019
It’s been a huge week in politics with MPs leaving both the Conservatives and Labour. Iain Dale says the new independent MPs need to quickly build a realistic policy platform. I was just 18 years old when the Gang of Four left the Labour Party to form the SDP in 1981. It se...
Cross Question Podcast - Episode List
- 22 Feb 2019
Every Wednesday evening between 8pm and 9pm Iain Dale hosts LBC's weekly political panel debate show with four top guests from the world of politics, economic and the media. It's a bit like Any Questions but more relaxed and more fun. Questions are put by LBC listeners. A podc...
For the Many Podcast with Iain Dale & Jacqui Smith
- 22 Feb 2019
BREAKING NEWS See Iain & Jacqui in a Live Edition of For the Many at PodcastLive in London on 7 April! Buy tickets HERE... WHAT IS 'FOR THE MANY'? Back in November 18 Iain Dale and Jacqui Smith lauched a weekly podcast called FOR THE MANY. It's a one o...
19 Things I Like
- 21 Feb 2019
Well, having told you in the previous blogpost about the 19 Things I Hate, several of you have asked me to 19 Things I Like. So here goes... 1 - Most liked food. Yorkshire pudding, Baked cheesecake with a raspberry topping, Chicken Fajitas, Mint Magnums, Mince Pies. I ...
19 Things I Hate
- 21 Feb 2019
I discovered this on my old blog recently, which someone had tagged me to do, so I thought I'd bring it up to date. Hate is such an extreme emotion, but sometimes you just have to let it all out. Here goes... 1 - Most hated food. Avocado or prawns. Foods of the devil....
What does the Defection of Three Tory MPs Mean?
- 20 Feb 2019
Last night I thought about writing an article about the most likely Conservative MPs to defect. Then I read a piece mentioning the three I was going to name, so then I thought, sod it, going to bed is a more attractive option. Then, hey presto, the three I was going to nam...
Is Geoffrey Cox the Man to Save Brexit?
- 20 Feb 2019
Over the last few weeks it has appeared impossible for anyone to find a way through the Brexit morass. Plan after plan is put forward and then dropped. The EU appears to be at its most intransigent. Theresa May at her most obdurate, failing to recognise the real pickle she's i...
The Night I S*** Myself in the Kremlin & Other Food Related Stories
- 19 Feb 2019
A couple of broadcast things I've been involved in which I thought you might like to see/listen to. Last week I recorded an edition of The Spectator's Table Talk food and drink podcast. It's available on iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts from, but here it is on A...
The Real Brexit Lies and Distortions & Why Honda's Decision Is Not Down to Brexit
- 19 Feb 2019
The announcement of the closure in 2021 of the Honda plant in Swindon is a disaster for the town. More than 3,000 people will lose their jobs and no doubt that figure will increase in the wider area through the supply chain. Honda has this morning been explaining why t...
Who is the Best Home Secretary of the Last 60 Years?
- 19 Feb 2019
Over the weeend I carried out a poll to see who people rated as the best Home Secretary of the last 60 years. There have been 24 Home Secretaries in that time, each lasting an average of two and a half years. According to my poll, this is the top five... Roy Jenkins ...
Will The Independent Group Break the Mould of British Politics?
- 18 Feb 2019
It's finally happened. After three and a half years seven Labour MPs have decided they can stomach Jeremy Corbyn no longer and have decided to sit as Independents. Some will see this as a mould breaking moment. I'm not sure I do, but time will tell. It has echoes of 1981 wh...
A Tribute to Paul Flynn 1935-2019
- 18 Feb 2019
I'm very sad to hear that the veteran Labour MP Paul Flynn has died at the age of 84. He was one of my favourite Labour MPs. We didn't really agree on an awful lot, but he was a brave politician and wasn't afraid to adopt causes which at the time were unpopular but later becam...
If Collective Responsibility & Ministerial Discipline Aren't Restored This Government Is Finished
- 17 Feb 2019
A few weeks ago it was reported that a senior Remain supporting Cabinet Minister had told journalists to expect 40 ministerial resignations if the Government didn't allow them to support Yvette Cooper's amendment ruling out a 'no deal' Brexit. In the event, there wasn't a sing...
Ten Questions to ask in the 2019 End of Year Pub Quiz
- 17 Feb 2019
I've looked into my crystal ball and come up with ten questions for the end of year pub quiz... 1. Which title did Theresa May take when she entered the House of Lords? 2. Why was the publication of David Cameron's memoirs postponed? 3. How much did the bailou...
What's Happening to BBC News & Current Affairs?
- 16 Feb 2019
Let's go back to basics. What is the BBC for? What does 'public service broadcasting' actually mean? How does the BBC adapt to a world in which TV (not radio) audiences are on an apparently inexorable decline as young people consume their media via anything other than a TV scr...
EDP/EADT Article: Is it Time to Axe HS2 & Spend the Money on Local Rail Schemes?
- 16 Feb 2019
Britain used to lead the world in visionary transport projects. Whatever happened to those halcyon days when someone invented something and within a few years it was built? I’ll tell you what happened. Our sclerotic planning system happened. It really is the roadblock to every...
25 of the Nicest MPs in the House of Commons
- 15 Feb 2019
People don't usually put the words 'nice' and 'politician' in the same sentence. They should because many politicians are indeed very nice people. Just like in the wider population, there is a fair share of nasty ones too, but in my experience most politicians are much more no...