Author: Alastair Campbell
Changing the lens on mental health (and detecting yet more opposition to Brexit)
Last night I was at Reading University, delivering the Peter Campbell Lecture – no relation – in honour of the founding head of the University’s Department of Politics and International Relations. I was allowed...
Read MoreThe speeches our leaders should make … Instead May ‘celebrates’ the vilest Brit alive, Paul Dacre
As the Brexit chaos continues, with ministers now falling by the wayside at a rate of one a week, the PM held in near contempt by those who remain in Cabinet, the NHS Chief Executive having to go public with what everyone...
Read MoreSpeech – Why I find it impossible to ‘get behind’ Brexit, and why MPs and business need to fight harder against it
Text of speech to CBI dinner, Ely Cathedral, this evening So you’re thinking why is he wearing a kilt? You’re thinking … he’s not going to get his bloody bagpipes out is he? There are two reasons I am in a kilt. One is that in...
Read MoreMy Latest Book
But What Can I Do?
Why politics has gone so wrong, and how you can help fix it
by
Alastair Campbell
"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.