Honourable Ladies: I'm Looking For Some Women Writers...
- 1 Nov 2018
As you may know, in September Jacqui Smith and I published the first volume of HONOURABLE LADIES, a collection of 168 biographical essays of female MPs elected between 1918 and 1996. Jacqui and I are now commissioning essays for Volume 2, featuring all women MPs elected bet...
Why Tracey Crouch Must Not Resign & Why Philip Hammond Is Wrong on FOBTs
- 1 Nov 2018
UPDATE 5.30pm: Tracey has now resigned from the government, so that makes this article a bit redundant now! Just when you think this government can’t get any more incompetent, they prove to you that they can. And no, I’m not talking about Immigration Minister Caroline Nokes’s...
When it Comes to Injunctons, Sunlight is the Best Form of Disinfectant
- 25 Oct 2018
The rumour mills have been busy over the last two days, ever since the Telegraph were forced by an injunction to abandon printing their story alleging sexual harassment, racist remarks and bullying against a prominent businessman. Instead they printed the allegations on their ...
Are You or Have You Ever Been a Bisexual?
- 23 Oct 2018
Inside the mind of every bisexual is a gay man struggling to get out. At least, that’s the view of many. It’s a widely held view that bisexuals are people who either want the best of both worlds, or, who are still too scared to embrace their inner gayness because they are on h...
Forks in the Road: How My Life Might Have Turned Out Very Differently
- 22 Oct 2018
Have you ever made a decision that has turned out to completely alter the course of your life? Forks in the road or sliding door moments, call them what you will… Without them, you know your life would have been completely different. There have been quite a lot of those in my ...
In Defence of Nick Clegg - The Man Who Likes Taking Risks
- 21 Oct 2018
I remember back in around 2003 my friend Duncan Brack, a leading figure in backroom LibDem politics, told me about a Liberal Democrat MEP called Nick Clegg. “He’ll be LibDem leader one day,” said Duncan. Two years later Nick Clegg swapped the European Parliament for Westminste...
20 of my Favourite Places in the Whole Wide World!
- 20 Oct 2018
I love traveling, and in my younger days I’d be off somewhere at every opportunity. However, with the work I do now, it’s difficult to go away for any length of time and I’m married to someone who doesn’t like foreign holidays! And owning two dogs makes it quite difficult, as ...
Why I'm a Petrolhead & All the Cars I've Ever Owned
- 19 Oct 2018
This may be a blogpost that is of no interest to anyone else, but I’m going to write it anyway. This is a very unfashionable thing to admit nowadays, but I’m a petrolhead. I love cars. Not quite as much as my partner John does, given he has more than a dozen of them, but my ca...
What's New on My Podcasts?
- 19 Oct 2018
As many of you know, I have three weekly podcasts running at the moment and you’d do me an enormous honour if you’d try each of them out. And if you like them, subscribe so you’ll automatically get new episodes on your phone each week. Cross Question is a weekly programme th...
Would I Want to Join A Club That Would Want me As a Member?
- 18 Oct 2018
I’ve never been a very ‘clubby’ person. Maybe I’m not very clubbable either, but I’ve never felt the need to join one of these members only clubs. Well, when I say never, that’s not quite true. Around 20 years ago I joined the National Liberal Club, not because I was a Liberal...