As the Top Tory Spin Doctor said in his genius briefing to my new best friend Nick Watt of The Guardian earlier this week, authenticity is the key in modern communications. It explains why, despite the extraordinarily tough hand...
Read MoreLike him or not, spare a sympathetic thought for David Cameron today. If he is anything like Tony Blair when Leader of the Opposition, he will have woken up this morning with the sense of a very big challenge ahead of him for...
Read MoreWith our own news again dominated this morning by MPs doing and sayings things they shouldn’t be, once again Barack Obama is able to remind us that politics at its best is always the pursuit of noble causes. As if he does...
Read MoreApart from taking a sneaky look at the rather risque pictures of Samantha Cameron over someone’s shoulder on the tube, the only paper I have seen today is The Guardian. And every now and then, you just have to hold up your...
Read MoreNot had time to read any of the papers, not heard any of the news, but the debate that has suddenly kicked off on my Facebook page re William Hague and Lord Ashcroft tells me that one has some way to run yet. Labour supporters...
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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.