The Vuelio List of Top 50 Political Influencers
- 11 Jan 2019
Embed from Getty Images The PR & Communications outfit Vuelio has produced a list of the 50 people they consider the main influencers on the political debate/agenda in this country. No one ever agrees on who's included in this sort of list, or where they are ranked...
Evening Standard Column: Who will step in to rescue May’s Brexit?
- 10 Jan 2019
"It’s like a middle-aged swingers party waiting for the arrival of Scarlett Johansson,” chirped Michael Gove at yesterday’s first post-Christmas Cabinet meeting. “Or Pierce Brosnan…” trilled Amber Rudd. Goodness knows what the Goves and Rudds had been up to over Christmas. The...
Disgracing Myself in the Kremlin Age 13 3/4
- 9 Jan 2019
I was talking to a friend who's about to visit Moscow, so I thought I'd entertain her with a rather sordid anecdote from my first visit there in 1976, when I was a mere 13 years old. It was a trip organised by my school and we spent five days each in Leningrad (as it then w...
From the Archives: Long Read 'In Conversation with Shirley Williams'
- 7 Jan 2019
Iain: Do you enjoy Question Time? Shirley: Mostly I do. I’ve had a couple of experiences that I didn’t enjoy at all. I think almost entirely with the Hitchens brothers. I can tell you from personal experience that if you have both Hitchens, it is devastating! One thing, the...
From the Archives: Long Read Interview with Simon Heffer
- 6 Jan 2019
This is the full length version of my interview with Simon Heffer, which appears in the December 2010 edition of Total Politics. Embed from Getty Images So how have you found the change from working in a newspaper office to coming back to your old college? I’ve still ...
From the Archives: Long Read Interview with Tom Watson
- 5 Jan 2019
This is an extended version of my Total Politics interview with Tom Watson, which appeared in the January 2011 issue of the Magazine. He's incredibly open and honest about his time in government and the personal trauma he went through because of something I wrote... Embed f...
Latest Book Club Podcast: The Joan Rivers Interview
- 4 Jan 2019
Boy have I got a treat for you. As you know, every week I interview someone with a new book out for the Iain Dale Book Club podcast. Well, sometimes we pull one out of the LBC archive, and that's what we've done this week. Back in October 2012 I interviewed the wonderfu...
My First EDP/EADT Column: Why Extra Policing Should be Paid For Locally
- 4 Jan 2019
Today marks the publication of my first weekly column for the Eastern Daily Press and East Anglian Daily Times. The papers cover all of Norfolk, Suffolk, Western Cambridgeshire and North Essex. My remit is to write a political column with edge, but with relevance to the...
My New Year's Resolutions for 2019
- 31 Dec 2018
I just looked back at my the resolutions I made for 2018. Here's how I did... To be consistently under 16 stone by the end of the year. I’m 16 1/2 at the moment and have been for some time. ACHIEVED. I'm under 15 1/2 now. To say ‘no’ more often, and not feel guilty abo...
MAIL ON SUNDAY COLUMN: Why Can't We All Just Get Along?
- 30 Dec 2018
On Christmas Eve the phone went and it was the Mail on Sunday. I think they had seen this tweet I had put out... FYI I'm very happy to engage in polite debate on any issue. I probably respond more than most. However, if you call me a c**t, use profane language or insult m...
An Appreciation of Sir John Redwood
- 29 Dec 2018
I'm not a massive fan of the way the Honours System operates. It's more open and transarent than it used to be, but it is undermined by the domination of honours for civil servants who are just doing their jobs. Indeed, some seem to get honours for doing their jobs very badly....
20 (Good & Bad) Personal Reasons to Remember 2018
- 29 Dec 2018
New Year is always a time to reflect on what's happened over the previous twelve months - the good and the bad. Friends you've made, loved ones you have lost. Lots of good things happened to me in 2018, but I am not going to pretend it was one of the best years of my life. ...
My Ten Predictions for 2019
- 28 Dec 2018
I didn't do very well in my predictions for 2018. I only got 3 1/2 our of ten right. In previous years I've usually got 7 or even 8 right, so let's see if I can do better this year... These were my predictions for 2018... There won’t be a general election in 2018. COR...
Ten Faces You Will See A Lot of in 2019
- 26 Dec 2018
I do like to do a bit of talent spotting, so here goes with ten people I think we're all going to read a lot more about in 2019, or hear on the radio or see on TV. I'd love to hear in the comments who you think I might have missed out! Grace Blakeley Research Fellow, IPP...
My Political Awards of 2018
- 26 Dec 2018
If you've listened to this week's episode of the 'For the Many' podcast, this won't be new to you. But here goes, anyway... Politician of the Year - Dominic Raab Minister of the Year - Jeremy Hunt Shadow Minister - Emily Thornberry Worst Minister - Caroline Nokes ...
My Most Memorable Interviews & Calls on LBC in 2018
- 24 Dec 2018
This will be my last blogpost before Christmas, so can I wish everyone who reads my articles on this site, and all my LBC listeners a very Happy Christmas. It's been great to have you along for the ride in 2018. 2018 has been an odd year for me in some ways. In September I ...
How Did My 2018 New Years Resolutions Turn Out?
- 24 Dec 2018
I just looked back at my the resolutions I made for 2019. Here's how I did... To be consistently under 16 stone by the end of the year. I’m 16 1/2 at the moment and have been for some time. ACHIEVED. I'm under 15 1/2 now. To say ‘no’ more often, and not feel guilty abo...
From the Archives: My Long Read 'In Conversation' With Paddy Ashdown
- 23 Dec 2018
Back in 2009 I did a lengthy interview with Paddy Ashdown for Total Politics. Last night I found it on an old computer so I thought I'd share it with you. It makes for fascinating reading and really stands the test of time. This is the full length version and has never been pu...
My Personal Tribute to Paddy Ashdown - A Political Hero of Modern Times
- 22 Dec 2018
"I would absolutely LOVE to do this." Those were the typically enthusiastic words from Paddy Ashdown when I emailed him to invite him to take part in one of the first episodes of my new political panel show, CROSS QUESTION. Sadly it was never to happen. Only a few days ...
My Top 200 Tweeters of 2018
- 22 Dec 2018
I have a love-hate relationship with Twitter. It can be the most amazing communications method, and when there's a breaking news story it is totally invaluable. But it's also become a sewer, which allows people to hurl abuse and rudeness around without fear of consequence. Thi...