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The Rest is Politics

Two men who’ve been at the heart of the political world - former Downing Street Director of Communications and Strategy Alastair Campbell and cabinet minister Rory Stewart - join forces from across the political divide. The Rest Is Politics lifts the lid on the secrets of Westminster, offering an insider’s view on politics at home and abroad, while bringing back the lost art of disagreeing agreeably.

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alastaircampbell

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Sep 23

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This is too late …

This is too late … ...

alastaircampbell

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Sep 23

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The worst thing about telly is my old fashioned view that you should be clean-shaven. So thanks very much @thelastlegofficial … I bet Elvis never cut himself shaving (in a part of the face where facial hair doesn’t actually grow)

The worst thing about telly is my old fashioned view that you should be clean-shaven. So thanks very much @thelastlegofficial … I bet Elvis never cut himself shaving (in a part of the face where facial hair doesn’t actually grow) ...

alastaircampbell

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Sep 23

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Well that is nice … @rorystewartuk and I have done three episodes @restispolitics this week and all 3 are in the top 5 of the @apple charts today. I’m sure @josh_widdicombe will want to talk about this when I go on @thelastlegofficial tonight. Nice to see him sneaking in at 6 ahead of Newsagents. Btw LINK IN BIO for @ediramaal … we are getting fantastic feedback both for what he is saying and how he says it. Fave comment so far from a woman “I don’t know what he looks like but can I shag that voice?”

Well that is nice … @rorystewartuk and I have done three episodes @restispolitics this week and all 3 are in the top 5 of the @apple charts today. I’m sure @josh_widdicombe will want to talk about this when I go on @thelastlegofficial tonight. Nice to see him sneaking in at 6 ahead of Newsagents. Btw LINK IN BIO for @ediramaal … we are getting fantastic feedback both for what he is saying and how he says it. Fave comment so far from a woman “I don’t know what he looks like but can I shag that voice?” ...

alastaircampbell

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Sep 23

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And here is the wallpaper doodle of me on horseback with sword in one hand and phone in the other which @rorystewartuk and I discussed with @ediramaal on @restispolitics today LINK IN BIO You can tell from how much younger than today we look (esp Edi!) that he is indulging in a bit of spin when saying he was inspired by my determination to kill Johnson! This was def pre the Johnson PM blip. Edi is one of the most thoughtful politicians I know and he has some fascinating observations about politics past and present as well as about some of the most important political figures of our time. Putin. Scholz and Merkel. Macron. Blair and Corbyn. Do have a listen. You will be surprised and impressed I think …

And here is the wallpaper doodle of me on horseback with sword in one hand and phone in the other which @rorystewartuk and I discussed with @ediramaal on @restispolitics today LINK IN BIO You can tell from how much younger than today we look (esp Edi!) that he is indulging in a bit of spin when saying he was inspired by my determination to kill Johnson! This was def pre the Johnson PM blip. Edi is one of the most thoughtful politicians I know and he has some fascinating observations about politics past and present as well as about some of the most important political figures of our time. Putin. Scholz and Merkel. Macron. Blair and Corbyn. Do have a listen. You will be surprised and impressed I think … ...

alastaircampbell

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Sep 23

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Special episode @restispolitics from Tirana. Balkans one of the most interesting regions in the world and Albanian PM @ediramaal one of its most interesting leaders. I’ve worked with him now for a decade through three election wins and you get a sense here why he has managed to survive in such a tough environment. We met amid a huge cyber attack from Iran and with the Channel small boats problem growing. He doesn’t shy from the problems crime and corruption give his country. But I think you will especially enjoy his analysis of other leaders eg Putin, Macron, Merkel, Blair. Oh, and his voice LINK IN BIO

Special episode @restispolitics from Tirana. Balkans one of the most interesting regions in the world and Albanian PM @ediramaal one of its most interesting leaders. I’ve worked with him now for a decade through three election wins and you get a sense here why he has managed to survive in such a tough environment. We met amid a huge cyber attack from Iran and with the Channel small boats problem growing. He doesn’t shy from the problems crime and corruption give his country. But I think you will especially enjoy his analysis of other leaders eg Putin, Macron, Merkel, Blair. Oh, and his voice LINK IN BIO ...

alastaircampbell

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Sep 21

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LINK IN BIO for a new episode @restispolitics in which (with thanks to Private Eye) my Abraham Lincoln lookalike podcast Co-presenter @rorystewartuk and I discuss the funeral, the return to politics, the devaluation of the pound that nobody seems to want to talk about, Biden recovery, Putin’s troubles at the Dictators’ Club, UN summits and more, including a debate on the pros and cons of fracking. Enjoy

LINK IN BIO for a new episode @restispolitics in which (with thanks to Private Eye) my Abraham Lincoln lookalike podcast Co-presenter @rorystewartuk and I discuss the funeral, the return to politics, the devaluation of the pound that nobody seems to want to talk about, Biden recovery, Putin’s troubles at the Dictators’ Club, UN summits and more, including a debate on the pros and cons of fracking. Enjoy ...

alastaircampbell

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Sep 19

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Tree of the Day. Passed it thousands of times but it looked especially good this morning

Tree of the Day. Passed it thousands of times but it looked especially good this morning ...

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Sep 16

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Special guest special episode @restispolitics and a fascinating interview with @markdrakefordwales Really enjoyed talking to him with @rorystewartuk for the podcast LINK IN BIO. Thoughtful and insightful and does that old fashioned thing of actually answering the questions!! The threat to the UK greater than at any time in my lifetime.” Scathing re Johnson “bullyboy Britain” approach to the Union. Respectful of “instinctive democrat” May. Clear in why he believes PR works, and why Welsh Labour is different. Doesn’t sugarcoat the “palpable damage” of Brexit. Comes over really well. Easy to see why he is popular in Wales, but confirms he will be stepping down in this Senedd term

Special guest special episode @restispolitics and a fascinating interview with @markdrakefordwales Really enjoyed talking to him with @rorystewartuk for the podcast LINK IN BIO. Thoughtful and insightful and does that old fashioned thing of actually answering the questions!! The threat to the UK greater than at any time in my lifetime.” Scathing re Johnson “bullyboy Britain” approach to the Union. Respectful of “instinctive democrat” May. Clear in why he believes PR works, and why Welsh Labour is different. Doesn’t sugarcoat the “palpable damage” of Brexit. Comes over really well. Easy to see why he is popular in Wales, but confirms he will be stepping down in this Senedd term ...

alastaircampbell

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Sep 15

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Pic of tweet giving you some of the contents of new @restispolitics Q and A out now LINK IN BIO

Pic of tweet giving you some of the contents of new @restispolitics Q and A out now LINK IN BIO ...

My Latest Book

Living Better – Paperback Cover

Living Better (Paperback)

How I Learned To Survive Depression

by

Alastair Campbell



"Superbly readable, supremely useful. This book could save lives."

– Stephen Fry

LIVING BETTER is Alastair Campbell’s honest, moving and life affirming account of his lifelong struggle with depression. It is an autobiographical, psychological and psychiatric study, which explores his own childhood, family and other relationships, and examines the impact of his professional and political life on himself and those around him. But it also lays bare his relentless quest to understand depression not just through his own life but through different treatments. Every bit as direct and driven, clever and candid as he is, this is a book filled with pain, but also hope - he examines how his successes have been in part because of rather than despite his mental health problems - and love. His partner of forty years, Fiona Millar, writes a moving afterword on how she too has learned to live with his depression.

Depression is the predominant mental health problem worldwide - it is estimated that 1 in 6 people in the past week experienced a common mental health problem and major depression is thought to be the second leading cause of disability worldwide. LIVING BETTER is a call to arms and an extraordinary memoir in one compelling and inspiring narrative. This is a book that really could save lives.

Alastair Campbell says: ‘We all know someone with depression. There is barely a family untouched by it. We may be talking about it more than we did, back in the era of 'boys don't cry' - they did you know - and when a brave face or a stiff upper lip or a best foot forward was seen as the only way to go. But we still don't talk about it enough. There is still stigma, and shame, and taboo. There is still the feeling that admitting to being sad or anxious makes us weak. It took me years, decades even to get to this point, but I passionately believe that the reverse is true and that speaking honestly about our feelings and experiences (whether as a depressive or as the friend or relative of a depressive) is the first and best step on the road to recovery.’