Members of the Ipswich and Suffolk Business Club enjoyed a talk by award-winning broadcaster and author, Iain Dale, at their latest event.
Iain, who presents the Evening Show on LBC Radio (Monday-Thursday 7pm-10pm), was shortlisted earlier this year for the Audio Presenter of the Year by the Broadcasting Press Guild. He was also named Radio Presenter of the Year for 2013 and 2016 at the Arqiva Awards.
The ‘In Conversation With’ event provided an insight into Iain’s life as a political commentator. He is a regular pundit on Good Morning Britain, Channel 5’s Jeremy Vine Show and Newsnight and hosts six podcasts including the award-winning ‘For the Many’ with Jacqui Smith.
Iain shared with the members how he sees that after such a turbulent time in politics, “a degree of dullness is now returning after too much excitement over the years.”
Looking back at the interviews Iain has conducted, he recalled one in particular with the-then Prime Minister, Teresea May “I asked if there was another referendum, how she would vote given that she had voted remain, but she was leading a leave government and she just panicked and couldn’t give an answer. I asked again, and again and it was quite a moment. That was one of the ones that went viral afterwards and Sky News ran it every half an hour for the next 24-hours.”
“Apart from politicians, I have got to interview people like Cliff Richard, Joan Rivers, Joan Collins and I love doing those type of interviews because they are outside my comfort zone. You get to meet some really interesting people. A lot of the really memorable interviews I have done have actually been with ordinary members of the public. My show is about members of the public calling in and you get really memorable moments. Often, they ring in, and they tell you things they have never told anyone else before. Because radio is such an intimate medium, you have a connection between the radio presenter and the listener in a way you can never get on television. You become the friend they have never met so they will confide in you.”
Iain has written or edited more than 50 books, the latest being On this day in politics, which was available for members to purchase at the event. Iain said “In my book, there are lots of famous days in history referenced like September 3rd, the day we went into the Second World War but there are also days where very little happened and those are actually the most interesting ones to research because you have to find something that happened. For example, if I said when was the first non-white MP elected to the House of Commons, you might think around 1983 but actually it’s 1832. People think the first-time women got the vote was after the First World War in the December 1918 General Election but actually a women voted in the 1867 election because she was mistakenly put on the electoral register, so the book has little quirky things like that that made it really fun to write.”
In Iain’s book, Why can’t we all just get along, Iain examines how as a society we have become disrespectful and intolerant, and he suggests it doesn’t have to be this way “I wrote it because I was fed up with the way our public discourse has developed. Politics has always been robust and there is nothing wrong with having robust exchanges, but social media has meant that people say things that they wouldn’t normally say. Everyone needs to moderate their approach to discourse.”
He is a regular columnist for the Telegraph, Evening Standard and ‘I’ paper and he lives in Tunbridge Wells and north Norfolk.
The event was hosted and sponsored by Milsoms Kesgrave Hall, Adnams and leading
PR and digital agency PLMR Genesis.
Toby Kramers, Chair of Ipswich Suffolk Business Club (ISBC), said: “Iain Dale is somewhat of a broadcasting idol of mine. I have been a fan of his for many years. Hearing about his career as an author and broadcaster was fascinating.”
“It was the perfect way to bring to a close the many great events ISBC has hosted this year. Looking ahead, we have exciting plans for 2023 and I encourage anyone interested in becoming a member, to get in touch with us.”
Members of Ipswich Suffolk Business Club are local business owners, leaders and decision makers who share the Club’s vision in promoting business growth and accelerating Suffolk’s business reputation in the UK.
The Club attracts high quality speakers, giving members the opportunity to hear from and question exceptional business entrepreneurs and political influencers.
To become a member and gain access to these exclusive member events, contact Liz Harsant by emailing secretary@isbclub.org.uk.
