ConservativeHome Diary Week 1: Cameron & Pritchard & Friends of Dorothy
- 12 Apr 2013
Each Friday I am writing a diary column for ConservativeHome. It’s posted there at 8.30, and will appear here around 2.30 the same day. I hope you enjoy it. Lovely graphic they’ve come up with, don’t you think? Makes me feel 30 again! David Cameron seems to be embarking on a...
Happy 100th Birthday to the New Statesman
- 11 Apr 2013
This week marks the centenary of the New Statesman. You might be surprised to know that I have a subscription to the magazine. It usually features some very strong writing, even if I disagree with most of it. They asked me to contribute a piece to a feature they are running i...
A Lovely Sony-tastic Surprise
- 11 Apr 2013
Being recognised by your peers is something I suppose we all appreciate, so when I was told today that I had been nominated for a Sony Radio Award, you can imagine how I greeted the news. I’ve been shortlisted for the Speech Radio Programme of the Year award for my LBC show. ...
It Shouldn't Happen to a Radio Presenter: No 6 - Reluctant Guests
- 9 Apr 2013
I’m afraid I indulged in a bit of Twitter bullying this evening. There’s nothing I hate more than some idiot know-it-all PR idiot being rude to one the team who produce my Drivetime show. In our first hour tonight we covered the resignation of the Kent Youth Police & Crime...
The Indefatigability of George Galloway
- 9 Apr 2013
By and large I avoided Twitter yesterday, but when I broadcast I always have it on in front of me as it’s a great resource for ‘breaking news’ stories. I decided to block anyone who appeared in my timeline who was gratuitously insulting Margaret Thatcher. I have no objection t...
Another Margaret Thatcher Memory
- 9 Apr 2013
Back in 2009 I wrote this piece for the New Statesman, which was a collection of recollections about where people were the moment they heard Margaret Thatcher had resigned as Prime Minister. The night before Margaret Thatcher’s resignation, I remember having had rows with...
Memories of Margaret Thatcher
- 8 Apr 2013
Margaret Thatcher is the reason I became actively involved in politics. She inspired me, as a sixteen year old, to join the Conservative Party and do my bit to help revive Britain. One of the tasks of today’s political leaders is to provide a lead, to inspire, to motivate. Mar...
Good Luck to Tim Montgomerie of The Times!
- 6 Apr 2013
This weekend marks the end of an era.Tim Montgomerie leaves ConservativeHome and starts a new job as Comment Editor of The Times. Tim launched ConHome (as we now refer to it endearingly) back in 2005. Almost from Day One it acquired a degree of influence over the inner worki...
Call Me Old Fashioned...
- 6 Apr 2013
Buying a property is never a straightforward business. Something always seems to go wrong. A link in the chain breaks, there’s a planning issue or the mortgage company won’t come up with the goods. We’re in the middle of buying a house in Lamas, in north Norfolk, and last Sund...
What's in a Label?
- 6 Apr 2013
I’m sure the general reaction to what I am about to write will be ‘get over yourself’, or worse, but in the words of the Beautiful South, I’ll carry on regardless! Have you noticed that many people in public life, no matter what they have gone on to do, will never escape what...
Yet Again the Law is an Ass
- 6 Apr 2013
Apologies for quoting another story from the Mirror, but this really does take some swallowing. Last year I was banned from driving for six months. I didn’t mention it at the time because I was rather ashamed of it. I had had four speeding convictions, three times for exceedi...
James Beattie Defends His Osborne Story
- 5 Apr 2013
listen to ‘Daily Mirror defend Osborne scoop’ on Audioboo Below you will see my little rant about the Daily Mirror’s Jason Beattie’s story about George Osborne and the disabled parking bay. I invited him on to my LBC Drivetime show today and to his credit he accepted. Here’s...
Marta Andreassen Continue to Ingratiate herself With Kent Tories - But Can She be Selected?
- 5 Apr 2013
How heartwarming to see newly defected MEP Marta Andreassen on the stump with Kent Conservatives yesterday, as reported on Andrew Kennedy’s excellent blog. Anyone would think there was a European selection in the offing. Perish the thought. Of course, to be a Euro candidate ...
Another Non Story - This Time It's Chuka Umunna's Turn for 'The Treatment'
- 5 Apr 2013
On the back of the Osborne disabled parking story, I see we have another one today. Labour’s Chuka Umunna is being taken to task for comments he made about West End nightlife. This is what the Daily Mail said… In public he’s a hard-working man of the people, a rising star ...
And This is What Political Journalism Has Been Reduced To...
- 4 Apr 2013
God I hate the Daily Mirror. Remember that post that I wrote a few weeks ago about falling out of love with politics? Well THIS story from the Daily Mirror is a perfect example of why no one in their right mind would want to be a politician. They are having a go at George Osbo...
On North Korea & Trident
- 4 Apr 2013
We had a corking discussion on North Korea and also whether we should renew Trident on my LBC show tonight. But I was very concerned by the number of people who sincerely appear to believe that America is at the centre of all evil in today’s world. Sure, America isn’t perfect ...
Mick Philpott: The Blame Game - Is It the Welfare State's Fault?
- 3 Apr 2013
When terrible things happen, the natural instinct is to seek an explanation, to find a reason for what happened. Sometimes there are no explanations. Sometimes there are no reasons. Sometimes bad things happen purely because evil people are at the centre of them. That is what ...
Paolo Di Canio - If He's Good Enough for Swindon...
- 1 Apr 2013
Oh the hypocrisy of the Left. It was OK for Paolo Di Canio to play for Sheffield Wednesday, Celtic, West Ham and Charlton. It was OK for him to manage little old Swindon Town in League One, but oh no, the thought of him managing Premier League Sunderland is repellent. No, I’l...
Can John Hayes Be a 'Willie'?
- 29 Mar 2013
‘Not since Caligula appointed his horse as his chief adviser has such an inappropriate appointment been made’. Those were the words of not one, but two Tory MPs, speaking to me about John Hayes being made the Prime Minister’s chief parliamentary adviser. I wouldn’t quite go t...
Book Review: 'What Have I Done' by Amanda Prowse
- 29 Mar 2013
Reading a novel about violent domestic abuse is not my idea of fun, but doing my job you often have to read a lot of books you wouldn’t normally bother with. And so it was that I read ‘What Have I Done’ by Amanda Prowse. She tells the story of an apparently normal family with...