This is a straight-forward thank you to Commons Speaker John Bercow who last night co-hosted with me a Leukaemia and Lymphoma Research dinner at Speaker’s House. The dinner allowed us to bring together leading lights in...
Read MoreI got in last night to catch sight of Nick Clegg talking about child benefit on the news. Now I didn’t see the start of the report, but if I read the words and body language right, I thought that rather than agitating as...
Read MoreMichael Gove looked like a naughty boy caught with his hand in the sweet jar when Ed Miliband quizzed the Prime Minister about the Schools Secretary’s ill-judged running commentary on the Leveson Inquiry. I have a hunch it...
Read MoreShort and sweet today. Just to say welcome to Black Dog Tribe, a new website started by Ruby Wax, one of my fellow Time to Change Ambassadors. Ruby asked me to answer a few readers’ questions, which you can see here Good...
Read MoreEven after all that emerged at Leveson yesterday, the Tory strategy to undermine the Inquiry continues. Boris Johnson, journalist and Mayor, talked about the need for ‘the caravan to move on’. Not quite on a par...
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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.