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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

Back from the bikeathon, inspired once more by 13-year-old Joe Smale

I'm just back from the London Bikeathon, another 52 miles in the legs, and a dose of sunburn on the neck. But, as ever, it was a terrific way to spend the morning, with 5000 other cyclists raising mon... Continue

26 June 2011

Whacking public services now a clear political strategy to match economic strategy of cuts

I was surprised there were no ministers at the Local Government Awards organised by the Municipal Journal last night. It was one of those events at which, if memory serves me right, Labour always trie... Continue

24 June 2011

From Dream school to a real school making a real difference; and meeting Big Brother Lansley

Why did it have to be Piers Morgan who spotted the spelling error - I am OBSESSED about spelling - in my tweet from a school in Harrow? No, not that school in Harrow, but St Gregory's Catholic Science... Continue

22 June 2011

I hope someone asks Cameron about Guardian splash on mental health at his press conference

Like many mental health campaigners, I gave Nick Clegg the benefit of the doubt when he outlined the government's strategy for mental health in February. To save you reading the whole thing, here is ... Continue

21 June 2011

A new version of an old Cliff Richard song could be biggest feelgood dampener yet

It is always wise to be a little suspicious of stories which emerge from private sector surveys, particularly if designed as what journalists in the pre no-deadline online age used to call a 'Sunday f... Continue

20 June 2011

Union and public anger fuelled by the feeling that we’re not really all in this together at all

Simon Kuper, best known for his writings on sport, has an excellent column in the FT magazine today. It is never easy to reduce a rich column to a sentence or two, but his main point is that in our ce... Continue

18 June 2011

In defence of politics – a lecture worth reading, from a rather lonely voice

Welcome to what is surely the longest blogpost put up here since I started blogging some time ago. It certainly has the longest paragraphs, but bear with me - that's what happens when you get academic... Continue

17 June 2011

On Osborne’s speech, Peston’s tie, and Labour’s need to unpick Tory argument on the past

The noise surrounding it would suggest George Osborne made an important speech last night. Northern Rock sell-off and banking reform seemed to take most of the coverage, big ticket items both. So for... Continue

16 June 2011

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.