Iain Dale

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Iain Dale
Born Iain Campbell Dale
15 July 1962 (1962-07-15) (age 47)
Nationality British
Alma mater University of East Anglia
Occupation Author, journalist
Home town Saffron Walden
Known for Political blogger
Political party Conservative
Partner John Simmons
Website
www.iaindale.blogspot.com

Iain Campbell Dale (born 15 July 1962) is a British blogger and aspirant politician for the Conservative Party. In September 2003 he became the first openly-gay Conservative candidate to contest a Parliamentary election.[1] He is the publisher of Total Politics magazine and is also known for his blog, Iain Dale's Diary.

Contents

Education and career

Dale was educated at Ashdon County Primary School, Saffron Walden County High School, and obtained a 2(i) BA Honours degree in German, Linguistics, and Teaching English as a Foreign Language from the University of East Anglia in 1985. Prior to going to university he spent his gap year as a nursing assistant at the Werner Wicker Klinik in West Germany. During his degree course he spent a year teaching English at the Gymnasium Besigheim.

He was Research Assistant to the Conservative MP Patrick Thompson, 1985–87, Public Affairs Manager for the British Ports Federation 1987-89, Financial Journalist with Lloyd's List 1989-90, and then Deputy Managing Director of The Waterfront Partnership & Managing Director of The Waterfront Conference Company 1990-96.

In 1997, he opened Politico's Bookstore and Coffee House in Westminster, selling a mix of political books, memorabilia and novelty items. The shop spawned sister publishing and web design businesses using the Politico's brand. He founded Politico's Publishing in 1998, and sold it in 2003 to Methuen Publishing. In 2004, Dale announced the closure of the walk-in book shop and relocated the business to Kent as a mail-order operation. Later that year the Westminster premises re-opened as the Westminster Bookshop under the ownership of Methuen Publishing. In 2006, Dale sold the Politico's Bookstore business to Harriman House.

Media work

Dale's blog, entitled Iain Dale's Diary, is reportedly[who?] one of the most widely-read political blogs in the UK. It was nominated by The Guardian for the Political Blog of the Year Award in 2005.[2] He also authors another blog entitled West Ham Till I Die where he blogs on West Ham United, the football club he supports.

Dale's fortnightly comment column for The Daily Telegraph, which he began writing in February 2007, was discontinued in January 2009. He has also written for The Guardian, The Independent, GQ Magazine, The Spectator and the New Statesman.

Dale is author or editor of over two dozen political books (for a full listing, see below). This includes co-authoring in May 2006 a book with fellow blogger Guido Fawkes (a.k.a. Paul Staines) about alleged instances of sleaze from the Labour Party since taking office in 1997.[3]. A second edition was subsequently released in June 2007.[4]

Dale is also the publisher of Total Politics magazine. He formerly presented Planet Politics on Oneword Radio, and occasionally appeared on Sunday Service on BBC Radio Five Live. He was also chief presenter on the failed internet TV station 18 Doughty Street.

Dale launched a new 'Iain Dale show' on Play Talk UK at 11 pm on Friday 8 May 2009, from a studio in Arundel.

Dale has been used as a stand in presenter for London radio station LBC 97.3 in recent weeks after doing a couple of test programs with other journalists.

Political career

In May 2005, Dale stood in the general election as Conservative candidate for Norfolk North, losing spectacularly to the Liberal Democrat incumbent, Norman Lamb; Lamb was elected with a 10,000 plus majority as opposed to 483 at the previous election, which he fought against David Prior. Subsequently Dale acted as chief of staff to the losing leadership candidate David Davis in the run-up to the 2005 Conservative Party leadership campaign.[5] In August 2006, it was confirmed that he had been added to the Conservative 'Priority List' of candidates to fight the next general election.[6] However his ambitions were further frustrated in 2007 when he applied for the Conservative candidacy for the safe seat Maidstone and The Weald, but failed to get past the first interview stage.[7] In October 2009 he ran for selection for the Conservative safe seat of Bracknell[8] in order to succeed Andrew MacKay, who is stepping down at the 2010 general election. Dale came third in the run off ballot behind Rory Stewart and the eventual winner Dr Philip Lee.

Bibliography

Iain Dale has edited/compiled/written more than twenty books:

Personal life

Dale entered into a civil partnership with his long-term partner John Simmons on Sunday 15 June 2008 at Wadhurst Castle in Kent.[9] They have been together since 1995.

References

  1. ^ Dale, Iain, Politics - Iain Dale has no problem being an openly gay Tory, New Statesman, 23 May 2005
  2. ^ Dale's profile as a writer for The Guardian's CommentIsFree site
  3. ^ Dale, Iain; Fawkes, Guido (2006). The Little Red Book of New Labour Sleaze. Politico's Media. ISBN 1-904734-16-2. 
  4. ^ Dale, Iain; Fawkes, Guido (2007). The Big Red Book of New Labour Sleaze. Harriman House. ISBN 190-5641-32X. http://www.politicos.co.uk/books/167156.htm?ginPtrCode=10410. 
  5. ^ "BBC news Tory Conference at a glance". 6 October 2005. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/4316784.stm. Retrieved 5 January 2010. 
  6. ^ The A-list top-up, ConservativeHome
  7. ^ Public Service Announcement , Iain Dale's Diary.
  8. ^ http://iaindale.blogspot.com/2009/09/why-id-like-to-be-mp-bracknell.html
  9. ^ Grew, Tony, Iain Dale to enter into a civil partnership, Pink News, 27 May 2008

External links

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