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168. A Climate Special: Populism, Security, and Leadership

Can the planet sustain infinite economic growth, or is GDP a flawed metric? Is the UK genuinely decarbonising, or is it simply outsourcing its pollution? How can politicians defeat the populi... Continue

The talk is good, the words are warm, but we are miles away from equality between physical and mental health

It has, on the surface, been a good week for the campaign to get better understanding and services for mental health and mental illness. The long-awaited NHS Taskforce Report gave a strong analysis of... Continue

16 February 2016

There will always be a need for good journalism, and BBC is an important part of that

I am in Holland today, speaking at an event for the Dutch media organised by the national broadcaster, NOS. The speech is below. Some of it will be familiar to regular readers, some of it less so, as ... Continue

21 January 2016

For heaven’s sake bring back standing at football – an issue no longer being decided by logic

It was not just the third away win in a week that made Burnley's trip to Brentford so enjoyable last night. Nor was it merely that the 3-1 victory was secured by first half goals from Scott Arfield, ... Continue

16 January 2016

A bit of nostalgia on the town where I was born

I do like writing, and usually I am the one deciding what to write, and enjoying the oddness of where ideas come from and why they strike me as being interesting at that time. But every now and then s... Continue

12 January 2016

Flood damage is a cruel metaphor for Tory failure to see that cuts have consequences. It is defining Britain

Here is a piece I have done this morning for International Business Times. I sometimes think David Cameron lives his life as his own Action Man doll, dressing himself up according to the various deme... Continue

30 December 2015

Five thousand words or so on how today’s challenges for leaders are tougher than 1997, and lots of other stuff. Happy Christmas

I’ve not done a big blog for a while, so as I penned this speech for a conference in France today, and I saw it was getting close to the 5,000 word mark, I thought ‘why not? Get it up there.’ T... Continue

20 December 2015

‘European history will see this as the age of Merkel’

Angela Merkel having - rightly in my view - been named Time Magazine 'Person of the Year', I thought I would post the mini-profile of the German Chancellor I wrote in WINNERS AND HOW THEY SUCCEED.... Continue

11 December 2015

Fantastic backing for #Equality4MentalHealth campaign. Please add your support here to help end historic injustice

Around the time of Charles Kennedy's death I spent a lot of time talking to his Lib Dem colleague, Norman Lamb. I didn't know him very well but had always felt, when he was a health minister, that he ... Continue

2 November 2015

Alastair Campbell is a writer, communicator and strategist best known for his role as former British Prime Minister Tony Blair’s spokesman, press secretary and director of communications and strategy. Still active in politics and campaigns in Britain and overseas, he now splits his time between writing, speaking, broadcasting, charities and consultancy.