Am I missing something here? Am I the only one – with the exception I hear of Tory MP David Ruffley – who thinks there should be a full public inquiry into the banking catastrophe? The thought came to me last night...
Read MoreAlastair Campbell, Tony Blair’s former spokesman, examines the British middle class’s troubled relationship with alcohol and his own long and complicated history with drink. To read the headlines about...
Read MoreAs the people I make the programmes with will testify, I have a somewhat ambivalent relationship with TV. It’s the F factor, as in F for faff, that holds me back from doing more, and it surprises me that an industry that...
Read MoreI am very pleased that The Times pulled out my invented word – alcocracy – as one of their headings on my piece on alcohol today. Here’s hoping that it has more success than my last deliberately invented word...
Read MoreI must thank David Cameron … Calm down dear, wait till you see the end of the sentence … I must thank David Cameron for getting alcohol up the agenda just in time for my Panorama on the subject on Monday. Mr Cameron...
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by
"Your country needs you. Your world needs you. Your time is now."
Our politics is a mess. We have leaders who can't or shouldn't be allowed to lead. We endure governments that lie, and seek to undermine our democratic values. And we are confronted with policies that serve the interests of the privileged few. It's no surprise that so many of us feel frustrated, let down and drawn to ask, 'But what can I do?' That question is the inspiration behind this book. It's a question regularly posed to Alastair Campbell, not least in reaction to The Rest is Politics, the chart-topping podcast he presents with former Tory Cabinet minister Rory Stewart. His answer, typically, is forthright and impassioned. We cannot afford to stand on the sidelines. If we think things need to change, then we need to change them, and that means getting involved. But What Can I Do? provides each of us with the motivation and the tools to make a difference. Opening with an acute analysis of our polarised world and the populists and extremists who have shaped it, it goes on to show how we help transform it. It explains how we can develop our skills of advocacy and persuasion. It draws on Alastair’s long experience, as well as on role models and lessons from history, to offer practical tips on starting and leading a campaign. It offers advice on developing confidence and coping with criticism and setbacks. And it sets out the practical steps by which we can become political players ourselves. Part call to arms, part practical handbook, But What Can I Do? will prove required reading for anyone who wants to help change things for the better.