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Europe needs to get real on defence; Britain needs to get real on Europe

Below is the text of a speech I am making this evening to the Labour Movement for Europe, urging a change in approach by Labour, to be bolder in the terms of the "reset" that is promised, clearer in ... Continue

Letter to a friend, and a report of Philip Gould’s funeral

If anyone has had enough of my tributes to Philip Gould, I will not be offended if you surf immediately to another website. But I feel I should say something about his funeral yesterday, where a packe... Continue

16 November 2011

RIP Alan Keen MP, a real football man in the corridors of power

Another sad death in the political world today, with the news of the passing of the Labour MP for Feltham and Heston, Alan Keen. I first got to know Alan when he and his wife Ann, also an MP, were pa... Continue

14 November 2011

The economic costs of our failure to treat addiction

A brief word on the conference on addiction I spoke at in Ireland yesterday, and the visit to Toranfield House, which helps recovering addicts. First though, a tourism plug. County Wicklow has some ... Continue

11 November 2011

Cameron and Osborne could do worse than call in Brown and Darling for a private chat

I was speaking at a dinner last night to businessmen and women who know a lot more about how the economy works than I do. So I was a bit alarmed to see how many were nodding along when I suggested tha... Continue

10 November 2011

Philip Gould, the best listener in politics

With thanks to The Guardian for asking me to pen a tribute to Philip for today's paper, and thanks also for the headline, below is the piece I wrote. Yesterday was a pretty wretched day for his many... Continue

8 November 2011

It is Philip Gould the friend and the positive life force I mourn today

Even when he entered what he called 'the death zone', Philip Gould brought hope and happiness to others - not accidentally, but deliberately, as one of his final, and selfless, acts of strategy. He wa... Continue

7 November 2011

25 reasons why Sir Alex Ferguson is the greatest manager of all time

Fiona and I are on the way to Manchester for a dinner to celebrate Alex Ferguson's 25th anniversary as Manchester United manager. Partly in response to a few tweets and messages asking why I hadn't bl... Continue

6 November 2011

Rarely can the summit smiles, backslaps and trumpeteering have seemed so incongruous

I suppose our leaders have to do that smiling thing as they arrive at summits (though I can't think they and we would all be happier if a lot of the ceremonials were scrapped, the trumpeteers confined... Continue

3 November 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.