Too hot to blog
Too hot to blog … that’s it. Apart from Well Done Andy, get well Adele, get real Gove and welcome Wen Jiabao … I was going to say something meaningful about Anglo-Chinese relations … but it really is too...
Read MoreAuthor: Alastair Campbell
Back from the bikeathon, inspired once more by 13-year-old Joe Smale
I’m just back from the London Bikeathon, another 52 miles in the legs, and a dose of sunburn on the neck. But, as ever, it was a terrific way to spend the morning, with 5000 other cyclists raising money for Leukaemia and...
Read MoreWhacking public services now a clear political strategy to match economic strategy of cuts
I was surprised there were no ministers at the Local Government Awards organised by the Municipal Journal last night. It was one of those events at which, if memory serves me right, Labour always tried to ensure a ministerial...
Read MoreFrom Dream school to a real school making a real difference; and meeting Big Brother Lansley
Why did it have to be Piers Morgan who spotted the spelling error – I am OBSESSED about spelling – in my tweet from a school in Harrow? No, not that school in Harrow, but St Gregory’s Catholic Science College,...
Read MoreI hope someone asks Cameron about Guardian splash on mental health at his press conference
Like many mental health campaigners, I gave Nick Clegg the benefit of the doubt when he outlined the government’s strategy for mental health in February. To save you reading the whole thing, here is the last sentence of...
Read MoreMy Latest Book
But What Can I Do?
Why politics has gone so wrong, and how you can help fix it
by
Alastair Campbell
"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.