Rachel Reeves Isn't Boring ... But She Can Be Very on Message!
- 10 Sep 2013
Apparently the Newsnight editor Ian Katz found Rachel Reeves a tad boring on Newsnight last night. I won’t comment on that, but it made me recall an interview I did with Rachel earlier in the year when she was, shall we say, very on message! Enjoy… listen to ‘Iain Dale spoke ...
It Shouldn't Happen to a Radio Presenter 12: When a Minister Won't Answer the Question...
- 9 Sep 2013
listen to ‘That awkward moment when a politician cant answer a simple question!’ on Audioboo This evening I interviewed Treasury Minister Sajid Javid about the state of the economy. He pulled me up on an economic statistic I gave, so when he tried to pull the wool over my ...
Sarah Teather - A Rather Sad, Pathetic Hypocrite
- 7 Sep 2013
So Sarah Teather is standing down from Parliament. I can’t say I’m sure she will be missed, even by many in her own party. She’s given a tear-jerking interview to the Observer’s Toby Helm, which you can read HERE, if you have a strong stomach. She says she’s going because the...
ConservativeHome Diary Week 21: UKIP - The Bi-Sexuals of British Politics
- 6 Sep 2013
READER WARNING: There’s more than the usual dose of smut in this week’s column. This week I have been chairing three panels for the Daily Telegraph with the aim of compiling the Top 100 people on the right, left and the Top 50 Liberal Democrats, all of which will, as usual, b...
Kevin Rudd Does a Jed Bartlet
- 5 Sep 2013
I don’t like Kevin Rudd, but you have to hand it to him here. He does a Jed Bartlet on an unsuspecting pastor, who asks him a question on gay marriage. Rudd destroys him. And if you don’t know what I mean by a Jed Bartlett moment click on this and you soon will. It’s why ...
Attitude Column: Are You or Have You Ever Been a Bisexual?
- 3 Sep 2013
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...
A Tribute to Sir David Frost
- 1 Sep 2013
Sir David Frost, who died this morning, will go down in history as one of the greatest interviewers and journalists of his generation – perhaps of all time. His laconic style hid a forensic brain, determined to get to the truth. He didn’t believe in confrontation as a form o...
ConservativeHome Diary Week 20: Bomber Clegg
- 31 Aug 2013
There we were, in the Any Questions Green Room, the panel of four, all cacking ourselves before being called on stage. So we did what anyone would do. We discussed what questions might come up. And to my horror, no matter what the potential subject, we all more or less agreed ...
Why I Oppose Military Action in Syria
- 28 Aug 2013
I want to explain why I think military action against Syria would be wrong and why the UK should stay out of it at all costs. I am not a natural peacenik. I believe that foreign intervention can often be justified. I supported the invasion of Iraq. I supported the invasion of ...
Book Review: Don't Bite the Apple by Luke Bozier
- 26 Aug 2013
This is a book about sex addiction and computer hacking, and how those two things led to one man’s life imploding in front of his eyes. That man is Luke Bozier, a digital politics specialist who advised Tony Blair but then incurred the wrath of the New Labour establishment by...
ConservativeHome Diary Week 19: The Perils of Appearing on 'Any Questions'
- 23 Aug 2013
Tonight I’ll be on Radio 4’s Any Questions. It’s the fourth time I’ll have appeared on the programme, so you’d think I would be used to it, but not a bit of it. It’s one of those programmes where there’s a tremendous opportunity to make a complete idiot of yourself. I have a r...
ConservativeHome Diary Week 18: My Perky Buttocks & Why I Won't Be Voting For Dan Hannan
- 16 Aug 2013
I’m afraid Dan Hannan will have to do without my vote in next year’s Euro-elections. I can’t and won’t vote for a list that has Marta Andreasen on it. She’s not a Conservative, never has been and never will be. I’m not even sure that she is eligible to stand. Has she really g...
Join my Fantasy Football League!
- 11 Aug 2013
Each year, I run a Fantasy Football League. Hundreds of people take part each season. Today I am launching next season’s league and inviting you to take part and submit a team. Click here. When you’ve registered your details, follow the instructions to select your team. When...
Attitude Column: Are You Born Gay Or Is It a 'Lifestyle Choice?'
- 10 Aug 2013
This is my first regular monthly column for ATTITUDE MAGAZINE, Britain’s leading gay lifestyle magazine, which appeared in the August issue. Seeing as it’s been out a few weeks now I thought I’d give it a wider audience. I’ve always known I was gay. Well, when I say always, ...
ConservativeHome Diary Week 17: Why I Like Polly Toynbee
- 10 Aug 2013
If you were drawing up a list of the 20 nicest MPs, Labour’s Alan Johnson would get more than his fair share of nominations. He is a formidable politician who surely still has a future in front line politics. But last Friday, when I was interviewing him about his new book, Thi...
LISTEN AGAIN: Alan Johnson Talks About His Childhood
- 5 Aug 2013
On Friday I interviewed former Labour Home Secretary Alan Johnson about his book, THIS BOY, which covers his somewhat unusual childhood. What a thoroughly nice guy, and what a fascinating story. Listen HERE
A Weekend in Norfolk
- 4 Aug 2013
As a child I used to love mucking around in the garden. I had my own vegetable patch and loved to help my mother pottering around in her green house. But once I entered my teenage years, any affinity to gardening went out of the window. But last week something peculiar happen...
ConservativeHome Diary Week 16: How Big Is Wee Dougie's Sword
- 2 Aug 2013
It’s interesting that Lynton Crosby is being blamed for virtually everything the government does now – good or bad. This is a good thing. It means that it’s clear that he frightens the living daylights out of the opposition. The latest manifestation of this phenomenon is these...
It Shouldn't Happen to a Radio Presenter 11: Interviewing Badly Briefed MPs
- 30 Jul 2013
It’s never a good idea to issue a spur of the moment press release as inevitable you will live to regret it. That’s what happened to Labour MP Barry Gardiner today. In the prep for our show on LBC today, we noticed a tweet from a Labour council candidate, Matthew Kercher. It r...