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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

A couple of examples of journalistic dishonesty, one trivial, one serious

A couple of weeks ago I spoke at the Local Government Awards hosted by the Municipal Journal. The event was well-organised, very enjoyable, and the hosts kind enough to say that my speech had been the... Continue

16 July 2011

Don’t faint, but I want to say something positive about Nick Clegg

It has been widely and rightly recognised that Ed Miliband has shown real leadership in recent days. He has forced the pace on phonehacking, and the broader issues of media practices and culture which... Continue

15 July 2011

Cameron’s judgement an issue; but inquiry will now go deeper than if press had listened to critics before

Just as News International threw Andy Coulson to the wolves in advance of last week's PMQs, so at yesterday's the PM did the same. In truth however, if Mr Cameron's former communications director 'tu... Continue

14 July 2011

My theory on happiness – we can only know if we have found it when we reach the end

With barely a mention of phonehacking (but a nice line on the Mail) here by popular(ish) twitterdemand is the speech on happiness I made at Birmingham University last night. It was the Baggs Memorial... Continue

13 July 2011

The press furore won’t swing an election, but it will change the nature of the debate to Labour’s benefit

Time for the blog to take a little breather from phonehacking, with three little scenes from yesterday which combined to lift my mood from the general media putrescence in which we have been swimming.... Continue

12 July 2011

Time and chance for a new settlement between politics, media and public – we should all seize it

In 2009 I attended the wedding of News International chief executive Rebekah Brooks. The ceremony took place by a lake, at a country estate. I stood next to TV presenter Piers Morgan, while Paul Dacre... Continue

11 July 2011

Sunday papers show Cameron, Yates, Murdoch and Mail still don’t really get it

With my usual thanks to the Labour Party media monitoring department for their excellent summary of the press, a few points before I settle down to a cup of coffee in front of Ed Miliband on Andrew Ma... Continue

10 July 2011

Steve Coogan spot on in asking where Paul Dacre is in all this. But his time is surely coming

I don't know Steve Coogan but I thought he did a very good job on Newsnight last night, in particular in seeking to make sure the focus from the phonehacking scandal is not just restricted to the News... Continue

9 July 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.