If I can go back to my old life as what the French might call a ‘medicin de rotation,’ I’d like to alert the media to something happening next week, when a group of Brazllian former street children arrive in...
Read MoreI resisted the many requests from Sunday newspapers to offer crisis comms advice to Number 10 as a combination of granny tax, tax cuts for the rich, pasties, petrol panic and a Tory funding scandal combine to give the government...
Read MoreBeautiful sunny day, and with all that is happening, thank heavens I’m off to France later to have a little peek at the elections there. Perfect time of year for France, the government there is not causing through its...
Read MoreHere is a blog that will be appearing shortly on the Time to Change website, which I have written about the latest big company to get on board the campaign to end the stigma and taboo surrounding mental illness. I recently...
Read MoreJust caught the BBC TV news headlines. Lead story new planning rules being brought in by the government. Second story a rise in the cost of stamps. So neither of them particularly good stories for the government; the first will...
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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.