You can never quite tell with Boris Johnson whether what comes out of his mouth is planned or wholly accidental. That he has some concerns about the coalition government’s planned changes to housing benefit is already...
Read MoreJohn Sawers, once TB’s foreign policy advisor, now head of MI6, used to take the mick out of what he called my ‘love-in’ with Bill Clinton. That rather overstates it, but fair to say I had and have a lot of...
Read MoreIn the dying moments of the Labour government, namely those heady days between the election and Gordon Brown’s departure from Downing Street, Bank of England governor Mervyn King was perhaps a bigger player than any of the...
Read MoreI don’t know how many of you read Monday’s FTfm (a weekly review of the fund management industry published as a pull-out with the Financial Times). Today’s version has a peculiarly arresting intro to its leads...
Read MoreSeven years after the suicide of Dr David Kelly, former BBC Director General Greg Dyke suggests it might have been better if the BBC had held its own inquiry into Andrew Gilligan’s false report which triggered the events...
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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.