Mail Group Obergruppenfuhrer Paul Dacre continues to hide under his stone so instead of getting his balding head above the parapet to deal with the Stephen Gately storm, he has left it to a statement from the hapless Jan Moir to...
Read MoreAccording to a Facebook friend, the Daily Mail has rewritten the article about Stephen Gately that has caused an outpouring of offence across social networking sites. This will have been a direct response to the fact that the...
Read MoreTo a meeting of US Democrats Abroad last night, to be interviewed by Catherine Mayer of Time magazine, then by the audience. Always interesting to get the take of politically minded foreigners on our domestic scene, and there...
Read MoreBack from a very nice day spent talking about campaigns with 100 schoolchildren aged 11-14 who have decided they’re going to change the world – or at least the bits of the world they live in. Ten teams of ten are the...
Read MoreLate night, early morrning … both containing reasons to be cheerful. Late night because I was speaking to Oxford University Labour Club, where there was a mood and an energy to the gathering that confirmed my view that...
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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.