Iain Dale's Diary

political commentator * author * publisher * bookseller * radio presenter * blogger * Conservative candidate * former lobbyist * Jack Russell owner * West Ham United fanatic * Email iain AT iaindale DOT com

Tuesday, March 25, 2008

Mr Speaker Can Run But He Can't Hide

What an outrage it is for the Speaker to use public money to go to the High Court to block an order to unveil details of the expenses of sev...

Jack Straw to Save the Great British Sausage?

As usual today the government ate into an Opposition Day debate (on Iraq) by scheduling an hour long statement. Again, as usual it was Jack ...

When a Free Vote is not a Free Vote

So Gordon Brown has bowed to the inevitable and given Labour MPs a free vote on the embryo research Bill. Well, that's what he'd hav...

The Shame of the NUT

Whenever I look at the massed ranks of the National Union of Teachers at their Easter conference I feel a sense of deja vu (as well as nause...

Monday, March 24, 2008

A Lovely Bank Holiday Afternoon in a Car Park

I never learn. I decided to drive down to the Tunbridge Wells Retail Park this afternoon (pic above) as I needed to get something from Curry...

Book Review: Ming Campbell's Memoirs

With all the things I have said about Ming Campbell's leadership of the LibDems in the past you might well expect me to pan his memoirs....

Saturday, March 22, 2008

The Dutch Bulb Fields: Advice Please

For Christmas I told my mother I'd take her to see the Dutch bulbfields this Spring. I wonder of anyone out there can advise me on the f...

The Daley Dozen: Saturday

1. Gavin's Gaily Gigest on the NUT's 10% pay demand. He's not impressed. 2. Lynne Featherstone MP has become a Twitterer. Some...

My Top 75 Political Books

GQ Magazine has published it's Top 100 political books (not online), so I thought as it's Easter I'd follow suit. These are all ...

Paxman on Scottish Independence: Not Bovvered

I must admit I take the old fashioned view that it's not really a good idea for current affairs presenters to involve themselves in poli...

It's Not Tax Cuts, It's Labour's Client State the Tories Should be Worried About

Francis Maude has given an interview to the Telegraph this morning in which he makes some very important points, especially on the Tories...

Friday, March 21, 2008

The Daley Dozen: Friday

1. Three Line Whip calls for Patrick Mercer to be made a Defence Spokesman. 2. John Redwood wants your advice on some moral dilemmas. 3. W...

Who Wants to be Editor of the New Statesman?

I was talking to a friend yesterday lunchtime about what's going on at the New Statesman . It's a good few weeks since John Kampfner...

Cameron in Bike Shame

In an astonishing admission today, Conservative leader David Cameron apologised to his fellow cyclists for obeying the Highway Code . "...

Does Size Always Matter ... In Blogging, I Mean

The Press Gazette has published a league table of the number of unique visitors for the biggest mainstream media news sites for January 200...

In Defence of Tom Watson

Yesterday, the government slipped out this written answer... Mr. Pickles: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what the budget f...

Thursday, March 20, 2008

The Consequences of Being Denied the Freedom of Expression

Read THIS post from FOREST's Simon Clark on his experience of attending a meeting on the forthcoming EU 'smoke free initiative...

The Curse of Niall Paterson

Be careful if Sky reporter Niall Paterson mentions you or stands near you. On Budget Day he was nearly decapitated by a falling piece of sca...

The Daley Dozen: Thursday

1. Tracey Crouch highlights the Kent Labour MPs who voted for post office closures. Yes, that's you Jonathan Shaw and Gwyn Prosser. 2. ...

Must Blogging Politicians Lose Their Sense of Humour?

Oh, for goodness sake. Read THIS report on a LibDem MP who seems to have had a complete sense of humour by-pass. Glyn Davies (Lembit Opik...

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