Dec 11 2007
Iain Dale
More than any other individual Iain Dale has put political bloging on the map. It is his fault that hundreds and thousands of politicians and others scour through the numerous political blogs that exist and try in their own small way to contribute to the political process.
I don’t know how Iain does it. I have visions of him sitting in some breezy garret formulating blogs for an appreciative audience toiling upwards through the night like some latter day Rumplestiltskin. The truth is clearly otherwise, he very obviously does many other things — travelling and following sport for starters. He must be fiendishly well organised.
I went for dinner recently with some former work colleagues. We meet up twice yearly and the conversation is wide ranging although politics sometimes barely surfaces as I am the only one there with an all consuming political involvement (well almost all consuming!) Suddenly one former colleague started to laud and praise this character called Iain Dale. He had just purchased a dictionary of quotations by him. I responded by giving a thumb nail sketch of my knowledge of Iain and added I had just purchased a book on bloging by the great one! Other colleagues joined in — they too had heard of him.
More strength to your bloging elbow Iain –I hope you are going to come to Wales as a guest at a fund raiser– how can you refuse after this write up? Actually there is no ulterior motive. You have made a massive contribution to political debate.
