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 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. That is the opening line of Alastair Campbell’s new book, ‘ But What Can I Do? Why Politics Has Gone So Wrong, and How You Can Help Fix It’. The ex-Labour communications chief is a prolific writer and has turned his attention and considerable political experience to the question in the title of his book. It is the question Campbell says he gets asked more than any other; its answer required a book. The Speaker spoke to Campbell about his new book, and about why young people should get involved in politics. Campbell, 65, is well-placed to opine on the subject. A former communications director for Tony Blair, he seemed less Machiavellian than, say, Dominic Cummings, and instead determined – often belligerently – to do the right thing by his country, even if half the country was convinced he was wrong. But then, such is politics. Despite quitting in 2003, he’s never really left the field because he can’t. People, he suggests, are always coming up to him, either to blame him for New Labour’s failings, or else to ask what “we” can do to improve things. His book is, in part, an answer.

When talking about his own experiences of mental illness whether his or through family, Campbell is frank and candid throughout without being harsh and I found the tone to be an easy one to 'listen' to and read. The Afterword written by Fiona Campbell matches in tone and though short is in itself an important read, and provides an understanding of what it's like to live with from another angle. In chapters entitled Resist Cynicism and Develop a Campaigning Mindset, he cajoles and pleads younger people from every sector of society to overcome their disillusion, and to adopt the Obama mindset of Yes We Can. This is a book for supporters of democracy,” he states, and in many ways it is everything a manifesto should be: heartfelt, hectoring, impassioned, rousing. The book’s premise is rooted in the belief that Brexiteers failed to grasp the complexities of European politics and economics, leading to what Campbell characterizes as a monumental decision based on ignorance. Through a combination of biting satire, political analysis, and personal anecdotes, Campbell endeavors to make Brexiteers confront what he sees as their intellectual shortcomings.

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His exploration of leadership is refreshing, as is his urge to authenticity (don't become a banker, work for a charity on a much lower wage ...). Even his new word 'persevilience' was a valuable addition to his arguments. Campbell and Stewart are quite different people, and they bring radically different kinds of knowledge and experience to the podcast. Campbell began his career as a reporter at the Mirror, leaving journalism to become Blair’s press secretary shortly before the 1997 election. From 2000-03, he was the Downing Street director of communications and strategy; he also worked for Labour in various guises during the election campaigns of 2005, 2010 and 2015. Yes, he has since written many books, including novels and a volume about mental health (he suffers from depression). But it is his political diaries that take up most space – several metres, at this point – on the nation’s bookshelves. If you're coming to Coles by car, why not take advantage of the 2 hours free parking at Sainsbury's Pioneer Square - just follow the signs for Pioneer Square as you drive into Bicester and park in the multi-storey car park above the supermarket. Come down the travelators, exit Sainsbury's, turn right and follow the pedestrianised walkway to Crown Walk and turn right - and Coles will be right in front of you. You don't need to shop in Sainsbury's to get the free parking! Where to Find Us

Part autobiography, part mental-health guide, Campbell’s writing blurs the line between personal experience and fact-finding expedition. There are attempts made consistently throughout this piece to do away with the taboo of talking about your mental health. For that, Campbell should be commended, especially after generations of “manning up” or “putting the right foot forward”, he attempts to undo some of that damage by giving thoughtful recollections of what addiction, depression, anxiety, and workaholism entail. The openness we have found in recent years, me telling her when the cloud is coming, has really helped us both’: Alastair Campbell with his partner, Fiona Millar. Photograph: Grégoire Bernardi/The Observer When I started writing it, Boris Johnson was in Downing Street. Two prime ministers later, the mess the country is in is greater than ever. But though the UK is the country I know best, I try to range far and wide in showing how the trends doing such damage to politics here are having a similar corrosive effect elsewhere. And while I do not hide my distaste for the Tories, I genuinely hope to offer ideas and insights that help people of all political persuasions and none, including those who are unsure what they believe in as yet. I hope, too, that current politicians read the book, and reflect that they, and the way they do politics, are a big part of the problem. They need to change, or be changed.

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Campbell, a staunch Remainer and vocal critic of Brexit, delves deep into the mindset of Brexiteers and offers a comprehensive analysis of what he perceives as their intellectual deficiencies. Drawing from his vast political experience and sharp wit, Campbell dissects the arguments put forth by Brexit supporters and highlights what he deems as their misguided thinking. It offers you the chance of really changing the world. I’m not saying there aren’t other ways of doing that, but that political context will always be there. Last Christmas I almost killed myself. Almost. I've had a lot of almosts. Never gone from almost to deed. Don't think I ever will. But it was a bad almost. It is not unusual for partners and families to feel that maybe it is they who are going crazy. When Alastair had his breakdown in 1986 and I was told that he was in a police cell in Scotland, it was almost a relief to understand that there was actually something wrong with him, not me. Until that point he had very cleverly deflected any concern about his frankly disturbed behaviour in my direction. I was unreasonable, nagging, neurotic. Fiona thought we were still going through a period of intense recrimination – she blamed me for bringing so much pressure into the family, I blamed her for forcing me out of the role I felt I was made for – was really trying her best and suggested we go for a walk to talk things over. Again.

At this point, someone arrives to whisk him away. Showtime approaches, and I duly take my seat in the Royal Hall. I look around. The audience is so mixed: here are entire families, politics A-level students in tow, and here are also thirtysomething couples, in corduroy and trainers. I do see a few groups of women, drinks in hand, but they are, perhaps, less excitable than billed. When the curtain rises – Campbell sits beneath a red spotlight, and Stewart beneath a blue – they begin by asking the crowd where they’ve travelled from. A show of hands reveals that more than half the audience is from outside Harrogate. One couple has come from south Wales, and another group from the Channel Islands. I admire Campbell and the whole New Labour project, so I am obviously biased. But I must also say I am genuinely jealous of the generation of people that were able to work with Alastair Campbell and his operation - it was quite fascinating to read that unlike in the Dominic Cumming era, none of Campbell’s former staffers ever left and them publicly briefed against him. Similarly, to read about his loyalty towards and cooperation with Tony Blair is just fascinating and again, working in teams like this must be just incredible. Most importantly in the second part of ‘ But What Can I Do?’, Campbell lays out a roadmap of what people – young people in particular – can do to get involved. He also dedicates several chapters to the skills required to be an effective changemaker and offers a hopeful outlook that these skills can be developed to ensure that anyone with a passion for making change can have an impact. According to Campbell the most important skill for dealing with the day-to-day brutal combat of modern politics, is a word that he is determined to get into the Oxford English Dictionary: ‘persevilience’.I remember when the Hutton Inquiry into the death of government weapons inspector David Kelly was under way. I got a fax while on holiday in France saying that Lord Hutton wanted to see my private diaries. Overall, a solid 4/5. Somehow, I still do allow the pessimism to triumph over my optimism and say, “it really is not that easy.” But more than anything, it is motivation - I am more than willing to put myself out there into the political ring. I even landed a new political job while in the midst of reading this book, which certainly sourced some of my courage to take it over another opportunity. lugesin juba teistest arvustustest, et algus on pikk ja kibestunud - okei, ega vist ei olegi võimalik mittekibestunud olla selle suhtes, mis hetkel maailmas ja eriti briti poliitikas toimub. siiski oleks oodanud natuke vähem... ränti. ma olen Alastairi vaadete ja seisukohtadega iseenesest täiesti nõus, aga isegi mind väsitab, kui ma pean lugema kahe lehekülje kohta kolm korda väljendit "Kamikwasi Trussonomics". see nali töötab ühe korra ja on isegi siis juba paras... dad joke.