My Latest Book

Alastair Campbell Diaries
Volume 8
by
Alastair Campbell
"If the face that Brexit Britain presents to the world today had been the face we had presented when going for the Games… no chance.
In less than a decade it feels like we have taken that Olympic spirit, the mood of London 2012, and created a Britain which represents the very opposite of all it represented, and felt like, at the time."
– Introduction, Alastair Campbell Diaries, Volume 8
It’s 2010 and Britain stands at a crossroads. After thirteen years in power, Labour find themselves out in the cold as David Cameron takes office – with a little help from the Liberal Democrats.
As the country begins its journey into austerity and, eventually, to Brexit, Alastair Campbell must grapple with his own future. The Blair–Brown years are over, with the stage set for a bitter leadership contest that will test loyalties and friendships to the limit. There are battles closer to home, too, with Campbell still torn between domestic and political life while his own and his family’s mental health come under increasing strain.
From the controversial Rose Garden speech, through the sunny optimism of the Olympics, to Cameron’s cavalier attitude to not one but two referendums, and culminating in the critical 2015 election, Volume 8 of Campbell’s acclaimed diaries is a must-read for anyone wondering how we got to where we are today – and how things might have been different.
Well done not just for the award but for continuing to speak out about this. I am a psychiatric nurse and I know it makes a difference to service users when there are role models they can identify with
Good article in the Times yesterday about footballers, including Lou Macari. Did not know his son had committed suicide or that Macari also had depression. There is so much more of this than people realise. Good blog on Coulson and Cameron and bullying. I wonder if Coulson was also behind the attack on the so called terrorist school which seems to have backfired
Well done for speaking out about a subject that people sweep under the carpet.
What was the fish-shagging joke? Seemed to go down well. More seriously, totally agree on the way the media keep linking violence and mental illness when as you say the mentally ill are often victims of violence.
Keep banging the drum … this is changing but if take the foot off the gas, it will go backward quickly