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If the BBC think their supine stance on Brexit will save them from the hard right, they are naive in the extreme

'All that is necessary for evil to succeed is that good men do nothing.' These words, most commonly attributed to the 18th Century Irish-born Whig Edmund Burke, may have come from someone viewed by s... Continue

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

Posted by Alastair Campbell

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

Posted by Alastair Campbell

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

Posted by Alastair Campbell

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

Posted by Alastair Campbell

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

Posted by Alastair Campbell

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

Posted by Alastair Campbell

The day I tried to talk to David Cameron about doing some of the things he announced today

Apart from his weakness over BSkyB, David Cameron - finally - said and did a lot of the right things in his opening statement at his press conference today. Once the questions got under way, however,... Continue

8 July 2011

Posted by Alastair Campbell

If Cameron does not order broader press inquiry it will expose lack of leadership and moral courage

The latest phone-hacking allegations are without doubt THE media story of the week, and possibly the tipping point which will make it one of the media stories of the decade, which ushers in a genuin... Continue

5 July 2011

Posted by Alastair Campbell

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.

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