Blog
Defamation and the law of blogging
There could well be a perception that blogging is lawless following the latest "Smeargate" sensation. In fact, that is not the case. Responsible bloggers know that they also have to adhere to the laws of libel and slander, they wouldn't put their neck on the line. A...
Why “Smeargate” will run and run…
Here is one good reason why "Smeargate will run, and run... Just wait till Iain gets his response for FOI information about whether a smear campaign was also being planned against him. This is what he wrote on his blog a few days ago: "Two weeks ago, on 27 March, I...
Top 20 Tory Twitterers
This is Iain Dale's list of top 20 Tory Twitterers ranked by their number of followers: 1. Boris Johnson 24,3412. Conservative Party 5,453 3. Iain Dale 3,0254. James Cleverly 1,7015. Jonathan Sheppard 1,4826. Grant Shapps 8147. Steve Green 7938. Tim Montgomerie 7619....
Labour’s black Easter
What is there left to be said about the tawdry, squalid smear campaign hatched by Damien McBride and Derek Draper and their slanderous emails against leading Conservative politicians? It's been splashed across the front of every paper today. Is this the kind of "best...
Preparing my next Toastmasters speech
You may have noticed that a side panel with my Toastmasters speeches has vanished. That is because I am no longer preparing them in the same way. And they had been there a while anyway and were pretty old. I used to write my speeches in full and learn them almost word...
A video tour of the European Parliament
I thought you might be interested in having a look at some scenes I recorded of the European Parliament in Brussels. When I last visited four years ago, there was much building work taking place to provide accommodation for MEPs and staff from the new eastern European...
The missing – April Fabb
Some names of missing people remain etched in the memory. One of those is April Fabb, a 13-year-old Norfolk schoolgirl who vanished 40 years ago today. On April 8, 1969, April had been cycling to her sister's home in Roughton, near Cromer to give her...
Another demise for Britishness
It's poignant that at a time when there are renewed calls to celebrate Britishness and St George's Day, we are set to lose Britain's most prestigious agricultural event, the Royal Show, as we know it. Was it just a run of bad luck due to poor weather, foot and mouth...
What is it with meditation?
Can you switch your mind off just like that? I always envy people who can, who can sink into a deep meditative, relaxed state whenever they wish. Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr still swear by it after 40 years of practice. Sir Paul goes as far as to say,...