There now follows an extract from this morning’s media monitoring report by the Labour Party…. ‘Conservatives left puzzled by policy pyramid’ (Timesp4) – ‘Wired up but not fired up for IT elex’ (Ti...
Read MoreLike comments on blogs, sometimes the best ‘Letters to the Editor’ are the shortest ones, and I quote one such from today’s Guardian, from Christopher Bell of Chorleywood, Hertfordshire. ‘Thank you for...
Read MoreIf I say ‘Gordon Brown/Piers Morgan interview’ the chances are it will trigger some kind of response, that a memory either of the event or of the coverage will come to mind. It showed a more human side to GB than is...
Read MoreA few months ago I wrote about a fundraiser I did with Jamie Redknapp, Eduardo and Simon Mayo to raise money for the Deloitte Street Child World Cup in South Africa. I return to the subject today because in a few hours’...
Read MoreI really hope Peter Mandelson is not too downhearted by the news doing the rounds on twitter and elsewhere that I attracted a bigger crowd to my Manchester fundraiser on Saturday night than Peter did on Friday. If he were, 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.