Tonight I went to speak to Chatham & Aylesford Conservatives Annual Dinner. Before the dinner I gave a talk to their councillors and council candidates on blogging. It's great that each of their wards now has its own blog which they're using to communicate with their local communities. It's something all council candidates and councillors should be doing.We then moved on to a pub/restaurant, which appeared to be in the middle of a wood (the relevance of this will become clear), for their annual dinner, at which I was singing for my supper. Tracey Crouch (who was my predecessor as David Davis's Chief of Staff) has recently been selected as the PPC for the constituency and it was her first major social 'do'.
I must admit I have rarely received such an introduction as I got from the constituency chairman, Alan Sullivan. He said some nice things about Tracey and then blurted out: "And Tracey will then introduce Iain Dale who will be telling us about his experiences of 'dogging'..." Cue raucous (but slightly nervous) laughter. I think he must have either mistaken me for Stan Collymore or become disoriented in the woods. But thankfully Alan recovered himself and admitted I would be talking about the marginally less exciting subject of 'blogging'. I couldn't help but notice the disappointment on several faces...
PS For the uninitiated who don't know what 'dogging' is, I am sure a Google search will enlighten...
It's any easy mistake to make. Both 'dogging' and 'blogging' have other users' comments enabled.
ReplyDeleteI did tell you to speak up ,we have that problem around here , but the police are short on manpower (more police our eseteemed leader has said) so nothing has been done about it , couples have taken to having baseball bats in there cars, I do believe a few cars have extra dents now .
ReplyDeleteDogging is more fun if folk don't know who one is.. ...especially the press.
ReplyDeletei'm sure you'd be great!..
Pity the poor chairman. Years ago, when as a student tory chairman I rose to introduce Sir Geoffrey Howe, the friction of my denim-clad derriere on the cheap plastic seat cushion of the chair on which I was sitting produced a loud sound horribly like breaking wind.
ReplyDeleteNot quite as embarrassing as confusing blogging with dogging, but it did make the audience titter and me blush. I feel for Mr. Sullivan - especially as you have cruelly published his embarrassment to the world.
Oh Iain, you are awful!
ReplyDeleteIf Mr Sullivan's faux-pas tickled you as much as the "Stephen Ladyboy" incident, then I'm surprised you managed to deliver your speech at all!
Unfortunately ,the reason sad gits like myself follow Blogging, is, because as we get too old, we dont have the stamina for Dogging. Pity really, I know what I'd rather do to kill the odd spare hour.
ReplyDeleteMy dislexic mate said this was a fun site to have a look at.
ReplyDeleteI'll have a word with that prat from Wanker.
On your way by car to the venue you would have passed several 'North Kent' woods where this practice has flourished.
ReplyDeleteEr, dogging I mean, rather than blogging.
Come to think of it though...
It's to do with that Jack Russell?
ReplyDeleteBy the way that snap popup preview is REALLY irritating!
ReplyDeleteChanging tack slightly, I don't want to be nasty but is that really the best photo you could find of Ms Crouch? It makes her look like a chipmunk with a rather long combover.
ReplyDelete>By the way that snap popup preview is REALLY irritating!
ReplyDeleteAmen. So is the collection of strange characters I get instead of an apostrophe when Iain goes into his 'inset quotation' typeface.
Excellent work, Mr Dale !! To have covered a serious topic like adoption and made a grumpy old fart like me laugh this early in the morning is no mean achievement, I assure you.
ReplyDeleteI must admit, I only understood what 'dogging' was a couple of years ago, as I never read the tabloids or 'Heat' type magazines. Perhaps it is best that you weren't having a 'roast' for dinner either...
By the way, I think Mr Sullivan is actually right to be proud of this - it is rather like Simon Heffer taking pride in not knowing who Jade Goody is..
Stan Collymore & Jade Goody, a match made in heaven.
ReplyDeleteYes I hate that pop up thing . That is marvellous Iain , for one glorious moment I thought you were unaware of the meaning of the phrase dogging, This would have given me the chance I crave and lust after to pay you back for such remarks as ...
ReplyDelete"You are talking total utter bollocks"
"..I would shut up now..."
BUT how many other people have been mistreated by the 34th most powerful person in the media.
BTW If anyone missed the devolution discussion on Doughty Street I wouild have a look . It is rivetting and informative.
Great stuff Iain I `m loving Doughty Street.
Following up 'newmania' - are you really using 'doughty street' to the full ? Perhaps from 11am you & Hazel Blears should present an alternative 'Richard and Judy' style magazine programme, with cookery and models in their underwear/bathing suits.
ReplyDeleteA bit of news over the lunch hour, and in the afternoon 'confessional' TV in the Oprah/Ricky/Trisha/Jeremy Kyle mould. Then after clearing up the detritus of the fights/tears you could have the political element.
Then at 11 over to the exploitative quiz shows [motto 'only the thick get ripped off on our channel'] then after midnight it metamorphoses into 'Big Blogger Dogger' TV - use your imagination, and send in requests to the studio email address, along with your Visa card number
Wow good to see that constituency is so in touch with what you do. I would have been a bit less gracious than you I must admit.
ReplyDeleteLagwolf - in defense of my poor Chairman, it was meant as a joke.
ReplyDeleteAllan actually asked me beforehand if he could get away with saying such a thing.
The poor bloke is now in hiding. I understand several colleagues have already called and started barking when he answered the phone !
Ah...well one has to wonder if its quite the right taste in joke for the time.
ReplyDeleteWell I thought Cameron's recent pursuit of Blair at question Time has been 'Dogged'.
ReplyDeleteOh dear, I just made the opposite mistake. I was looking for Dogging not blogging.
ReplyDelete