At the risk of ruining his career, I would like for the second time this campaign to commend the work of Channel 4 political editor Gary Gibbon. He is one of the few remaining political reporters who is interested in politics as...
Read MoreI caught a snatch of a Five Live phone-in on the TV debates this morning, where the sense of the calls I heard was the clear dissonance between what people thought, and what the polls and pundits said. As I tweeted in advance of...
Read MoreSomeone texted me late last night to say I should take a look at Peter Hyman’s performance on Newsnight discussing GB and Mrs Duffy with Danny Finkelstein (Tory) and Olly Grender (Lib Dem). Oh no, I thought, don’t...
Read MoreI was saying last night that we had yet to have our ‘Joe the plumber’ moment in the campaign. We had not even had the Sharon Storer moment, though David Cameron’s encounter with the father of a disabled child...
Read MoreI’ve gone back to my journalistic roots today with an interview in the Mirror with Alex Ferguson talking about his roots, and how he has never forgotten them despite all the success and wealth he has enjoyed. He tells the...
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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.