To the Chartered Institute of Housing’s conference yesterday. Nice bunch, not very keen on my fellow Keighley man Eric Pickles I sensed, and feeling a bit battered after the spending review. But I felt they were adopting...
Read MoreI hope you don’t mind me reprinting in full here the comment posted by Jacquie Reed on the blog I did earlier about the coalition cutting off their noses to spite their faces by cutting government spending which is shown...
Read MoreA fascinating example of the coalition’s cut-nose-to-spite-face approach emerges from Yorkshire, the county of my birth. ‘A long weekend in Yorkshire’ has just won the best marketing campaign, against some very...
Read MoreI would love to be a fly on the wall of kitchens and living rooms at weekends in the homes of Lib Dem MPs now helping the Tories do things they always wanted to but never dared to try. Politicians by and large come from...
Read MoreSo there I was, tapping away at the computer, and it just went dead. Kaput. Bye-bye. In our household, I know not how to deal with these things, but Fiona does and she has now got someone in who is sorting it, but in the...
Read More
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.