ITV News asked me to write a blog on depression following Stephen Fry’s latest admission of his latest suicide attempt. Here it is… Stephen Fry hit the nail on the head when he said that people are liable to think...
Read MoreA nice cheery start to the week. Not just any old week, but Dying Matters Awareness Week. Did you not know? It kicks off tonight with the Inaugural Dying Matters Lecture in London, delivered by Professor David Cunningham, and...
Read MoreWith thanks to those who have posted it on twitter, allowing me to do a quick cut and paste, here is the interview I did with football’s greatest ever manager for The New Statesman a few years back. ‘Alex Ferguson...
Read MoreAs I said yesterday, I spent Monday driving down from Scotland, listening to hour upon hour of coverage about Mrs Thatcher’s death. When the news was announced that David Cameron was cutting short his meetings with...
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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.