It is hard not to feel some sympathy for Cardiff. In the space of one afternoon, both their football and rugby teams crashed out in the closest, cruellest manner possible. A few weeks ago, Cardiff City were thinking automatic...
Read MoreSome very good responses on Facebook to my obseration that Hilary Benn is a good speaker – pointing out he did a decent defence of the government on Question Time, others that he handled tricky questions on student finance...
Read MoreGreetings from Keighley, my home town, where John Prescott and I have been out with Labour MP Ann Cryer, canidate to succeed her Jayne Thomas, and candidates for the European elections on June 4 (or July 4 as John kept saying on...
Read MoreFollowing on from yesterday’s rebuttal of the TB/AC anti-gay smear re the new poet laureate, I have another good example of ‘print now, think later’ for you. I mentioned I was at the Sport Industry Awards on...
Read MoreThere was me, post Damian McBride, thinking that the media might rely a little less on anonymous briefings (sometimes so anonymous as to exist only in the imagination of the journalist), but I got into a cab in the early hours,...
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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.