Originally from Northern Ireland I moved to England in 2001 to study law at the University of Liverpool, before spending a year working at a Disability arts organization in the city. However it wasn’t until starting my master’s degree at the University of Glasgow that I became actively interested in politics; after stumbling upon the political blogosphere.So there I am eight months into my masters re-evaluating my original plan to practice law, but having no particular idea about what I wanted to do with politics. In fact I didn’t even have the first clue about how to get involved in politics. Fortunately I stumbled on a piece written by Donal Blaney, Chief Executive of the Young Britons’ Foundation, on ConservativeHome and decided to pick up the phone.

Long story short I find myself sitting in a Slug and Lettuce by Bank tube station three weeks later eating a burger and chips, with Donal opposite asking me what I wanted to do in politics and me say “I’m not sure” in a variety of different ways. After about 30 minutes I find that I’ve agreed to do an internship in the States, starting two months later (with a dissertation to write in between!).

Fast-forward those two months (during which the dissertation was finished, phew) and there I am sitting in Arlington VA, a couple of Metro stops from Washington DC, working in the fundraising department of the Leadership Institute; an organisation that trains conservatives in political technology i.e. the skills and techniques that determine victory in political campaigning.

Three months later the internship’s over and I’m back in the UK starting work at the Young Britons’ Foundation as the Executive Director and at 18 Doughty Street as a Presenter (and a variety of other things in-between).

After a fun-filled year interviewing people for Doughty Street and organising political technology training for YBF whilst also handling the organisation’s fundraising, I started working with Iain Dale on a new political magazine called Total Politics, officially took up my position as Executive Editor at the start of 2008.

I appear redgularly on television and radio commenting on anything ranging from David Cameron’s new hair cut to the latest by-election disaster for Labour.  I write for The Telegraph on their Brassneck Blog, the Centre for Policy Studies blog, and have been featured in the Washington Times and National Review’s Corner.

Needless to say I often find myself considering how randomly things can change when you pick up the phone.