In this cynical, media age, it is not easy for an organisation to establish a strong reputation for taking complicated facts and delivering sound and sober judgements upon them, but you’d have to say the Institute for...
Read MoreThere is something wonderful, almost French, about Brighton seafront on a cold sunny day like today. I was so taken with the light and the fresh air that I enjoyed a little stroll before heading to one of the big hotels on the...
Read MoreJust caught sight of Communities Secretary Eric Pickles on TV trying rather unsuccessfully to maintain that the George Osborne package was ‘progressive’, followed by a man in the City saying that it was a dreadful...
Read MoreIf a Labour government had ever come up with a strategic defence review at the centre of which was the idea of aircraft carriers without planes to fly from them, we would never, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever,...
Read MoreThe coalition may have a tricky week ahead of them, but they continue to have media opinion (not to be confused with public opinion) blowing a favourable wind up their bums and into their sails. Or, to put it more favourably for...
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.