Friday, May 20, 2011

The Daley (Half) Dozen: Friday

1. Stephen Glover isn't sure he can trust his friend Chris Huhne.
2. George Readings condemns the left for allying with Islamists.
3. Julia Manning provides the solutions to Clegg's problems.
4. Liz Truss condemns the private sector surviving on subsidy.
5. Olly Grender wonders how Michael Moore will cope with Salmond.
6. Daniel Hannan examines how the British are viewed abroad.

On My LBC Show Tonight From 7pm

Next week I will be sitting in for Nick Ferrari and hosting the LBC Breakfast Show from 7-10am.

Tonight...

7PM: Terror suspects: What should we do with people we suspect of terrorism? A man the police think could conduct a terrorist attack in London has been exported to a Midlands city in order to protect the London public. Why isn’t this man behind bars?

8PM Cars: Is Britain falling out of love with the car? A new study shows that fewer and fewer of us are learning to drive and we have reached what some are calling “peak car”. Car use in London has held steady over the last 15 years. Why? Is it because more people work from home? Has public transport got better?

9PM The sale of Waterstones: What do you want to see from your local bookshop? Are bookshops destined for the retail scrapheap?

930PM Twitter: Do you use twitter? Do you regard it as a force for good or ill?

Listen at 97.3 FM, on DAB, Sky 0112, Virgin 973 or at http://www.lbc.co.uk/ Phone in on 0845 60 60 973. Text 84850. Email iain@lbc.co.uk. Tweet me @lbc973

Thursday, May 19, 2011

The Daley Dozen: Thursday

1. Better Nation bids farewell to British Political Debate.
2. Nicholas Watt praises the Queen for her performance in Ireland.
3. Jeremy Warner warns against Brown becoming IMF Chief.
4. David Blackburn on what Ken Clarke show have said.
5. Peter Watt insists the Labour party must stop fighting cuts.
6. Fraser Nelson examines how debt affects our security.
7. Fleet Street Fox points out what we would miss without tabloids.
8. Peter Botting has a few ideas to change MPs.
9. Alex Canfor-Dumas is confused about the idea of Blue Labour.
10. Tom Bradby looks at the future of Scotland.
11. Paul Waugh reveals who tripped up Spelman on circuses.
12. Matthew Sinclair attacks crony capitalism.

On My LBC Show Tonight From 7pm...

7PM Trade Union bribery: So, bus drivers are trying to force Boris Johnson to pay them a bonus during the Olympics for, er, working normally. What should Boris Johnson say to their unions? Isn’t this brazen extortion?

8PM Britain’s place in the world: Liam Fox says Britain will remain in the premier league of military powers. How important is that, and is it all dependent on military strength? Isn’t it about time we realised that we are no longer a major league world power and adapted our defence and foreign policies appropriately?

9PM LBC Legal Hour: with Daniel Barnett

Listen at 97.3 FM, on DAB, Sky 0112, Virgin 973 or at http://www.lbc.co.uk/ Phone in on 0845 60 60 973. Text 84850. Email iain@lbc.co.uk. Tweet me @lbc973

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

The Daley Dozen: Wednesday

1. David Blackburn thinks Graeme Archer proves right wing blogs aren't dead.
2. Jerry Hayes gives us the lowdown on rape sentencing.
3. Political Scrapbook look at the Cabinet Of The Living Dead.
4. Thomas Sowell provides us with his usual economic wisdom.
5. Mark Wallace isn't pleased with Ken Clarke's attitude to rapists.
6. Harry Cole insists that Chris Huhne must go.
7. Robert Halfon reckons a PR elected Lords will create more patronage.
8. Sunny Hundal reviews Lord Ashcroft's latest analysis.
9. Robert Colville shows that the Trade Unions have never been so tame.
10. Michael Crick is getting ready to watch the scramble of MPs.
11. Cranmer tackles House of Lords reform.
12. Andy Mayer is disapointed with the health reform retreat.

On my LBC Show From 7pm...

7PM Unemployment: Unemployment has fallen for the second quarter in a row. Signs of a recovery or a straw in the wind? Is this proof that the private sector is rising to the occasion and replacing the jobs shed by the public sector? But the number of women out of work is the highest for some time. Why do women suffer disproportionately in difficult economic times? Guest: Chris Grayling

8PM Ken Clarke: The Justice Secretary caused outrage today over his remarks on degrees of rape. Ed Miliband called for the PM to sack him, while women’s groups have been up in arms. Isn’t he another politician whose only crime is to speak the truth as he sees it, or do you think he should he pay with his job for his apparent crassness? Did his language offend you? And hasn’t this who episode marred a proper debate out sentencing for rapists?

9PM LBC Parliament Philip Lee, Conservative MP for Bracknell, Andy Slaughter, Labour MP for Hammersmith, and Julian Huppert, LibDem MP for Cambridge.

Listen at 97.3 FM, on DAB, Sky 0112, Virgin 973 or at http://www.lbc.co.uk/ Phone in on 0845 60 60 973. Text 84850. Email iain@lbc.co.uk. Tweet me @lbc973

Monday, May 16, 2011

The Daley Dozen: Monday

1. Matthew Barrett unveils the Westminster Brat Pack.
2. Ben Brogan reckons Nick Clegg is boosted by Huhne's implosion.
3. Guido proves that Huhne's wife couldn't have been speeding.
4. Mark Wallace discovers further signs of a Conservative/Lib Dem merger.
5. Paul Waugh wonders who could replace Huhne.
6. Adrian Masters looks at the Welsh Conservative leadership race.
7. Mark Gettleson analyses Ed's flashman joke with the voters.
8. Neil Midgley reports another example of BBC waste.
9. Michael O'Brien reveals that Donald Trump won't be standing for President.
10. Dan Hodges doesn't think the Military Covenant should be enshrined.
11. Daniel Korski thinks Briton could run the IMF.
12. Brian Micklethwait has a collection of Rally Against Debt signs.

On My LBC Show From 7pm...

7PM Libya: The International Criminal Court is seeking the arrest of Colonel Gadaffi for crime against humanity. Does this give the international community the excuse it needs to intensify the campaign in Libya and hunt down the Libyan leader.

8PM Dying Matters Awareness Week: Why is death such a taboo subject in Britain? Why are we so reluctant to talk to each other about dying? Is it because we fear death? Is the desire to live forever a natural one? Has your attitude to dying changed as you’ve got older? Why are women more scared of dying than men? Does the fear of dying make us reluctant to plan for the end of our own lives. Surely if we talk about it, plan ahead we can prevent the things we are frightened about from happening?

9PM LBC Book Club with Kay Burley (First Ladies, HarperCollins, pb £7.99) and Catherine Mayer (Amortality, Vermillion, PB, £12.99)

Listen at 97.3 FM, on DAB, Sky 0112, Virgin 973 or at http://www.lbc.co.uk/ Phone in on 0845 60 60 973. Text 84850. Email iain@lbc.co.uk. Tweet me @lbc973

Saturday, May 14, 2011

Tim Ireland Issued With Harassment Warning

Nadine Dorries has just posted this on her blog...

Today I had a meeting with Bedfordshire Police. They informed me that under caution and recorded on tape at Guildford Police station, Tim Ireland, of Bloggerheads, has been issued with a warning under section two of the Harassment Act.


If you wish to read Tim Ireland's defence and explanation, click HERE.

Friday, May 13, 2011

The Daley (Half) Dozen: Friday

1. Raheem Kassam reckons Mehdi Hasan is delusional.
2. Paul Waugh shows that the City want David Laws back.
3. Amber Elliott can't believe how bad Labour's online strategy is.
4. David Blackburn explains how Bin Laden lives beyond the grave.
5. Political Scrapbook prove that chauvinism isn't dead.
6. Liberal Vision remind us about tomorrow's Rally Against Debt.

Wednesday, May 11, 2011

On My LBC Show From 7pm...

7PM David Laws: LibDem MP David Laws is, if the leaks are to be believed, about to be suspended from the House of Commons for 7 days. Is that the right punishment, or has he paid too high a price? What kind of loss has he been to the coalition government and do you think he can ever make a return?

8PM Drugs: Channel 4 is going to film people taking class A drugs live on TV. Do you think that this should be allowed? And if we allow people to take ecstasy on live TV isn’t that the first stage to the full legalisation of drugs?

9PM LBC Parliament with Mary Macleod (Con, Brentford & Isleworth), Caroline Pidgeon (LibDem GLA member) & Denis MacShane (Lab, Rotherham).

Listen at 97.3 FM, on DAB, Sky 0112, Virgin 973 or at http://www.lbc.co.uk/ Phone in on 0845 60 60 973. Text 84850. Email iain@lbc.co.uk. Tweet me @lbc973

The Standards & Privileges Committee: J'Accuse

When something is leaked it's usually a good idea to seek to understand the leaker's motivation. So when we heard that the David Laws report was being leaked left right and centre, I immediately thought: "Who's done that and why?" It seems clear to me that a member of the Standards & Privileges Committee is most likely to be the guilty party, and they did it to cause maximum damage to David Laws. Why? Because they want to prevent him being brought back into government. So, who was it? These are the members of the Standards & Privileges Committee...

Rt hon Kevin Barron MP (Chair) Labour
Sir Paul Beresford MP Conservative
Tom Blenkinsop MP Labour
Annette Brooke MP Liberal Democrat
Rt hon Tom Clarke MP Labour
Mr Geoffrey Cox MP Conservative
Matthew Hancock MP Conservative
Mr Oliver Heald MP Conservative
Heather Wheeler MP Conservative
Dr Alan Whitehead MP Labour

This is not the first time members of this committee have behaved in a disgraceful way, and I have no doubt it won't be the last. But what does it say about a committee which is supposed to oversee standards in Parliament, that certain members of it can't resist leaking and giving out privileged information? If they are the people who uphold the rules of the House of Commons but can't obey the rules themselves, what faith can we have in them?

From the reporting, it is also clear that the leaker only leaked the most damaging passages to David Laws. So I suggest we all wait for the final report tomorrow before we rush to judgement.

Me and My Blog



From the BBC College of Journalism site.

Tuesday, May 10, 2011

The Daley Dozen: Tuesday

1. Melanie Phillips argues against the 50% target for university students.
2. Dylan Sharpe looks back at the highs and lows of the AV campaign.
3. Max Atkinson is proud of his former pupil.
4. Mark Gettleson thinks he knows future Conservative strategy.
5. Morgan Kelly doesn't want bailouts for Ireland.
6. Dan Hodges concedes there is no "progressive majority".
7. Nick de Bois shows how NHS competition will increase quality.
8. Roy Greenslade condemns the Telegraph for subterfuge.
9. Dizzy is looking for Chris Huhne's shoulders. Can you help?
10. Paul Goodman warns that Osborne is the one delaying NHS reform.
11. Peter Hoskin analyses Cameron's interview in The Sun.
12. Dan Hannan reckons the Lib Dems have selective memory.

On My LBC Show From 7pm...

7PM Coalition: Tomorrow is the first anniversary of the creation of the coalition. I want to know what you want to see the coalition do in its second year. Does David Cameron need to shake up his team and have a reshuffle. Who should he sack, and which talent should he promote? And should be bring back David Laws into the cabinet? And does Ed Miliband need to change tactics to score a few more political hits?

8PM The LBC YouGovStone debate: We’ll be crossing to the Royal Commonwealth Society where my colleague James O’Brien will be hosting a debate on the coalition’s first year, featuring LBC’s very own Mehdi Hasan and David Mellor, together with Dianne Abbott, Dame Anne Leslie, Vicky Pryce and Peter Kellner.

9PM LBC Medical Hour with Dr Rob Hicks.
Listen at 97.3 FM, on DAB, Sky 0112, Virgin 973 or at http://www.lbc.co.uk/ Phone in on 0845 60 60 973. Text 84850. Email iain@lbc.co.uk. Tweet me @lbc973

So So Gay...

The website SoSoGay has done an extended interview with me, which you can read HERE. If you're interested :).

Monday, May 09, 2011

On My LBC Show Tonight From 7pm...

7PM Coalition: Should David Cameron lay down the law, act like a leader and tell the LibDems exactly where they can put their demands, even if it risks the coalition collapsing? Why do the LibDems think they are in any sort of bargaining position to issue demands when they’ve just suffered a terrible electoral battering? If you were David Cameron, what would you tell Nick Clegg?

8PM Universities: Should we now accept that fewer 18 year olds should go to university? The last Labour government set a target of 50% of 18 year olds to go to university without ever really thinking through the consequences. Were they right to do that or have they created a generation of young people who feel they’ve failed if they don’t complete a degree?

9PM LBC Book Club With Paddy Ashdown, whose autobiography A FORTUNATE LIFE is published in paperback by Aurum at £9.99.

Listen at 97.3 FM, on DAB, Sky 0112, Virgin 973 or at http://www.lbc.co.uk/ Phone in on 0845 60 60 973. Text 84850. Email iain@lbc.co.uk. Tweet me @lbc973

Sunday, May 08, 2011

All I Am Saying, Is Give Clegg a Job!

When LibDem MPs return to Westminster this week they could be forgiven for having a collective panic attack. In their 22 year history they have never had such an onslaught of the political heebie-jeebies as they experienced at the hands of 12 million grumpy voters this week.

Cleggmania has turned into Cleggophobia. Every policy Nick Clegg touches now is seen to be toxic.

Westminster pundits are already writing him off as a political busted flush. But then again, these are the very same commentators who didn’t see the SNP landslide coming in Scotland. They are the same people who predicted the Tories would lose more than 1,000 local council seats, when in fact David Cameron ended up with 81 more councillors on Friday than he had had only 24 hours earlier.

No, the Westminster commentariat is being rather previous in writing off the political career of Nicholas William Peter Clegg.

It may sometimes be difficult to believe but the Nick Clegg you see making apologetic, contrite statements on TV this weekend is the very same Nick Clegg who, only twelve months ago was riding on the crest of a political wave. He is the same man, with the same talents as the one who convinced so many people in TV debates that he was the real political deal.

Since then it hasn’t exactly been an easy ride for the LibDem leader. He became the anti-poster boy for students over the tuition fees issue. So unpopular did he become that the Yes to AV campaign wanted nothing to do with him. His presence in the Yes to AV campaign was regarded as toxic by the pro AV people. Elements of his own party have started whispering against him. They should be careful what they wish for.

Just twelve short months ago, Clegg led the Liberal Democrats into power for the first time in three quarters of a century. He out negotiated the Conservatives and secured a huge amount of the LibDem manifesto in the coalition agreement. Indeed, quite a lot of it has already been implemented, but you’d never know it because Clegg and his colleagues have been so inept at telling us. Instead, they concentrate on how they have supposedly stopped the wicked Tories from laying waste to the economy. It’s as if their message has become “Vote for us, we’re quite good at stopping the Tories being Tories.”

The sight of Chris Huhne and Paddy Ashdown stomping from TV studio to TV studio whinging about how the Conservatives have, shock horror, been ruthless in campaigning for a No Vote in the AV referendum has been pathetic to behold. You want to pull the dummy from their mouths and shout ‘Diddums’.

The sainted Vince Cable bleats on about how the Tories are “ruthless, calculating and tribal,” without the faintest hint of irony in his voice. Has he never observed a LibDem by election campaign? Labour and Conservative supporters still remember the LibDem campaign manual which urged their candidatess to “stir wickedly, act shamelessly”?

A friend of mine in Norfolk opened the door to LibDem canvasser last week. “I’m fed up with the lies your MPs have told,” he said. “Ah, but we don’t lie at local level, “ said the LibDem activist without a hint of a smile. The gut reaction of many LibDem activists and parliamentarians will be to distance themselves from David Cameron and the coalition. This would be a mistake. They have made their bed and there is nowhere else for them to lie. They will succeed or fail together, so they have to make the best of it. LibDem ministers like Vince Cable should think about that the next time they prepare to self indulgently sound off in the media.

The LibDems must also take on board the fact that David Cameron is no longer prepared to wrap Nick Clegg in a comfort blanket. Time after time the Prime Minister has come to his deputy’s rescue – much to the irritation of his backbenchers – and offered him a bauble, a little crumb of comfort at a difficult time. He’s turned a blind eye when LibDem ministers have gone off message, while at the same time coming down on his own rebellious backbenchers like a ton of bricks. No longer. Cameron has rediscovered his inner Conservative. Some would say, and not before time.

But what does Nick Clegg do now? Part of his problem is that the job of Deputy Prime Minister is not a real job. In many ways it’s a non job – ‘not worth a bucket of warm spit’, as John Nance Garner once said of the US Vice Presidency. Clegg’s only real policy role is to be in charge of political and constitutional reform. Well that’s worked out well, hasn’t it? And next up is House of Lords reform. Clegg would be well advised to wash his hands of that particular hornet’s nest because it is almost certainly going to end in failure.

Clegg’s best chance of recovering his once towering reputation is for David Cameron to be given a proper departmental job. It almost doesn’t matter which one. But it would give him an opportunity to actually do something, rather than just talk. If it were me, I’d give Clegg the job of Health Secretary. Then we’d see if he would sink or swim.

But that is the only concession David Cameron should make to the LibDems. He should indeed be ‘ruthless and calculating’, and send off any LibDem demanding futher concessions on health reform or indeed any other policy covered in the coalition agreement with their tails between their legs. What could they do about it? Nothing. They have nowhere else to go. The LibDems know that if they were to leave the coalition they would become the laughing stock of British politics. I know it. You know it. David Cameron knows it and more importantly, so does Nick Clegg.

Secondly, the LibDems need to start talking about issues which come up in conversation down the Dog & Duck. AV was never going to be one of those issues. The very fact that only eight boroughs in the UK voted in favour of AV demonstrated that perfectly. It was a ‘chattering class’ issue. No wonder the eight boroughs included the elitist climes of Oxford, Cambridge, Islington and Camden. No one else cared. It’s the same with House of Lords reform. The Westminster elites discuss it over their sun dried tomatos and polenta, but no one in the real world sees it as a political priority.

Clegg will always be a lightning rod for the LibDem side of the coalition. It comes with the job, but he needs to ensure that the burden is shared. It’s about time he reigned in Vince Cable and told him to knuckle down and do his job and that he can’t be Mr Popular all the time. The tendency of LibDems like Vince Cable and Simon Hughes to wear their political consciences on their sleeves is not an attractive one. It makes them look weak and ill-fitted to the job of leadership and government.

There is one further move that Nick Clegg can make to revive LibDem fortunes, and that is to ask the Prime Minister to restore David Laws to the Cabinet. The events of the last few months show how much his strategic brain has been missed. It is a scandal that the Standards Commissioner is taking so long to decide on his case, which is the only thing standing between him and a return to office.

The LibDems have always been at their happiest when they can chant in unison “I protest”. Government is not about protesting, it’s about making difficult and sometimes unpopular decisions and standing by them. Nick Clegg and his party still have to prove that they are capable of doing this. But there’s still time.

Yesterday was an electoral wipeout for the LibDems all across England, Scotland and Wales. It could hardly have been worse. And yet they still achieved 15% of the vote, which is way above their poll ratings. That will give them at least a crumb of comfort and persuade LibDem electoral strategists that all is not lost. Yet.

Friday, May 06, 2011

On My LBC Show Tonight: 7pm to Midnight

In just a few minutes Declan Harvey and I will be hosting an hour long nightly news special looking at the verdict of the 7/7 inquests. Should there now be a full public enquiry? How should the security services be reformed, and how did the emergency services perform? Declan and I will be joined in the studio by relatives and survivors of the 7/7 bombings and we’ll hear direct from them, as to whether they’re satisfied with the verdicts.

And at eight we start another four hour election special, during which we’ll be bringing you the results of the AV referendum and looking back at the local elections, Welsh Assembly and Scottish parliament elections with our expert panel.

Joining me in the studio will be Tony McNulty, Professor Colin Rallings and Therese Coffey MP and we'll be getting reaction from the national count at the Excel Centre.

Listen at 97.3 FM, on DAB, Sky 0112, Virgin 973 or at http://www.lbc.co.uk/ Phone in on 0845 60 60 973. Text 84850. Email iain@lbc.co.uk. Tweet me @lbc973

Wednesday, May 04, 2011

The Daley Dozen: Wednesday

1. David Starkey warns adopting AV could send us back into the past.
2. Shamik Das thinks Ken Livingstone has gone mad.
3. Joe Murphy shows the brainchild of the AV baby posters.
4. Lloyd Evans reviews PMQs.
5. Tom Perrin warns Cameron against a reshuffle.
6. Guido reveals that Eddie Izzard is just another politician.
7. John Redwood reckons it is time to bring our troops home.
8. Daniel Korski wonders if Chris Huhne is proving coalitions don't work.
9. Douglas Carswell has decided which way he is going to vote.
10. Ben Duckworth doesn't think Chris Huhne will be the next Lib Dem leader.
11. Toby Harnden reports on the loose lipped Joe Biden.
12. Tim Padgett catches up with the students who were with Bush on 9/11.

On My LBC Show From 7pm...

7PM Middle East Peace Process: As David Cameron meets the Israeli Prime Minister in London I want to ask you tonight what effect is the Arab Spring having on the efforts to negotiate a lasting middle east peace process? Can Israel ever deal with Hamas, and if not how can we ever hope to achieve peace? What effect will the killing of bin Laden have, and is it now the time for President Obama to launch a big new initiative?

8PM Cinemas: Could watching a film at the cinema soon be a thing of the past? Major Hollywood studios are planning to allow you to download major new movies at home almost as soon as they are released. Cinema chains are up in arms. How have your movie watching habits changed? Would you regret the demise of the British cinema?

And from 9pm it's the LBC Parliament with Conservative MP Patrick Mercer (Newark), Labour MP Mike Gapes (Ilford South) and Liberal Democrat commentator Olly Grender.


Listen at 97.3 FM, on DAB, Sky 0112, Virgin 973 or at http://www.lbc.co.uk/ Phone in on 0845 60 60 973. Text 84850. Email iain@lbc.co.uk. Tweet me @lbc973

Tuesday, May 03, 2011

The Daley Dozen: Tuesday

1. Nick Pickles reveals an astonishing example of NHS waste.
2. Guido asks if Ed Miliband supports dancing on Thatcher's grave.
3. Political Scrapbook has pictures of the No to AV ice cream van.
4. Ed West doesn't look forward to the rise of "deathers".
5. Dan Hodges will shed no tears for Osama Bin Laden.
6. John Redwood shows that AV won't get rid of safe seats.
7. Aaron Ellis tries to understand the Pakistani dimension.
8. Dan Hannan congratulates Stephen Harper in Canada.
9. Gary Gibbon reckons Huhne is gearing up for the leadership.
10. Harry Cole highlights the contradictions of the Yes campaign.
11. Peter Hoskin reports that the CIA Director takes Pakistan to task.
12. Alastair Campbell admits he feels sorry for Nick Clegg.

The Great AV Debate On My LBC Show Tonight

From 7.15pm

The Great AV Debate with Margaret Beckett & Steve Norris from the No to AV campaign and Greg Dyke and Peter Hain from the Yes to Fair Votes campaign.

They will be debating the merits or otherwise of AV between 7.15 and 8pm and then we'll be opening up the phonelines so you can interrogate them live on air.

From 9pm it's the LBC Medical Hour with Dr Rob Hicks.



Listen at 97.3 FM, on DAB, Sky 0112, Virgin 973 or at http://www.lbc.co.uk/ Phone in on 0845 60 60 973. Text 84850. Email iain@lbc.co.uk. Tweet me @lbc973

Monday, May 02, 2011

On My LBC Show From 10am till 2pm Today...

Only one story in town today, the killing of Osama bin Laden. I want your reaction throughout the four hours I'm broadcasting on this Bank Holiday Monday. We'll be mixing calls with reaction from politicians, diplomats and pundits. You can expect to hear from...

John Decker, White House Correspondent of Reuters
Sir Menzies Campbell
Douglas Alexander
Alistair Burt
David Davis
Sir Christopher Meyer
Charlie Wolf
Shashank Joshi

We'll also be talking to one of those celebrating outside the White House.

Jo Phillips will be with me between 11 and 12 ostensibly reviewing the papers, but I suspect not!

Do call in on 0845 60 60 973.


Listen at 97.3 FM, on DAB, Sky 0112, Virgin 973 or at http://www.lbc.co.uk/ Phone in on 0845 60 60 973. Text 84850. Email iain@lbc.co.uk. Tweet me @lbc973