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166. John Swinney: An Independent Scotland Is An Open Scotland

What is the future of the Scottish independence movement? How does the SNP rebuild trust and support for independence after a series of bruising scandals? Why did the Scottish First Minister ... Continue

When the conmen move more quickly than the council

I try hard to avoid being a grumpy old man on here, but every now and then ... This story starts in mid May, when in the post was a card from 'Parcel Express UK' advising me they had tried to deliver... Continue

3 July 2009

Andrew Lansley done up like a kipper

You won't have found too many words of praise for journalists on here, so stand by for a rare event. I refer to a journalist I have never met, named Sally Gainsbury, who works for a magazine I don't ... Continue

2 July 2009

A day spent interviewing footballers, then being interviewed by a transvestite comedian

Just missed the train from Preston by a few minutes, so time to knock out a quick blog. Not seen a paper or the news for two or three days, and worried the internet connection won't last, so not riski... Continue

1 July 2009

When the power of black eyes fades

What with meetings, family stuff, a funeral and then a train journey north, I missed all the political excitement yesterday. I saw a couple of headlines suggesting Peter Mandelson was suggesting the e... Continue

30 June 2009

Farewell to Henry Hodge

It must be so much easier to plan a funeral if you do God. Getting the tone of a 'celebration of the life of' is not easy. The Hodge family got it just right as hundreds gathered to bid farewell to H... Continue

29 June 2009

Honouring the power of sport to do good

  Off to a celebration of Henry Hodge's life later today, so I may have a few words to say about that later - like if you haven't already, please make a donation to www.justgiving.com/alastaircampbel... Continue

29 June 2009

Andy Murray is a winner. Is that why some Brits don’t like him?

For a few humid, air-cracking minutes, I was sure I was going to witness another moment in history yesterday - namely the first competitive tennis played under the new roof at Wimbledon. Somehow, wit... Continue

28 June 2009

New Parliament will look very different. The younger the better

Funny old world ... I was just arriving at Wimbledon, trying to find a telly that would be showing the Lions match, saying to my son that when we came here last year we were with Alan Milburn ... when... Continue

27 June 2009

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.