Author: mark
Spin and soundbites only take you so far
I have been up in Scotland to see my Mum and speak at the Lennoxlove book festival. Scottish politics is interesting at the moment. Scotland on Sunday asked me for my take and the article they run today is printed here. The...
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Posted by mark | Nov 12, 2010 | Charity, Health, Mental Health, Politics |
Throughout the last election campaign, the Tories said till they were even bluer in the face than usual that they would protect the NHS from any looming cuts, and that within the public services more generally they would protect...
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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.
From Twitter
And congratulations to the Observer’s Toby Helm for telling the story of the collapse in UK exports to the EU and then withstanding the attempt to rubbish him and it. Shame on the Cabinet Office- itself testimony to the degree the country is being gaslighted to believe falsehoods https://twitter.com/voicesdeal/status/1368510214425698308
Congratulations @RHANews @RHADuncanB @RHARodMcKenzie @RHARichardB vindicated for telling the truth about the impact of Brexit.
@williamnhutton @GrassrootsEU
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2021/mar/06/uk-statistics-authority-rebukes-gove-over-observers-brexit-figures
My Tree of the Day from several angles. The best is the one framed by camellias. The portaloo shot not so great but still a winner.
A year ago today, Boris Johnson watched England v Wales at Twickenham.
10th-13th March:
250,000 people attended Cheltenham Festival.
11th March:
Liverpool v Atletico Madrid went ahead.
Happy anniversary from the man who did everything he could.