By popular demand (well, a few Facebook friends and a few Irish journalists) here are some of Bertie Ahern’s reflections from my 80 minute chat with him at the Cheltenham Book Festival. As I tweeted yesterday, he thought...
Read MoreAs I am interviewing Bertie Ahern at the Cheltenham Festival later today, I thought I’d catch him on the Marr programme to see whether he was in suit and tie or smart casual, and thereby get my dress code guidance. This is...
Read MoreIn the next few hours, someone will do us the service of telling us which words and phrases were most used in David Cameron’s speech. ‘Big Government’ will, I suspect, be top of the pops. Whilst professing to...
Read MoreDid Nick Robinson really refer to David Cameron as the Prime Minister? And should any of us be terribly surprised? Now of course it is possible to excuse the BBC political editor’s mistake as a slip of the tongue. The...
Read MoreOff to Scotland today and, in what those who ever ate with him call ‘Robert Maxwell catering’, I will be at two dinners, one an awards ceremony, the second a Labour fundraiser. For Captain Bob, two dinners was in...
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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.