Fiona and I discovered almost simultaneously on Sunday that we were thinking and feeling the same thing. It is a thought and a feeling that dare not speak its name, other than in the confined circumstances of a close and...
Read MoreBarack Obama will have weighed every word carefully as he announced the successful operation to kill Osama Bin Laden. He will know that his statement in the White House will be played again and again on news bulletins around the...
Read MoreI know Ed Miliband has other things to do today, what with being, unlike TB and GB, at the wedding … (I’m loving Huw Edwards getting excited about the dress) … but I do hope he sees the response by Howard...
Read MoreI think enough has probably already been said and written about David Cameron’s latest Flashman moment, though I’m sure Michael Winner was dead chuffed to be trending on twitter alongside the Labour MP to whom the PM...
Read MoreJust back from a couple of interesting days in Paris, speaking to politicians, strategists, analysts, Terra Nova thinktankers, journalists and bloggers about the 2012 Presidential elections. I met a lot of people who said that...
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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.