Alastair's Blog

I’m off to Dunkirk today for a conference of French communications professionals, Cap’ Com, asking themselves whether the public still believe ‘la communication publique.’ The answer is that sometimes some of the public do, and sometimes some of them don’t. ‘Twas ever thus. It is probably fair to say though that people in advanced democracies [...]

A reminder, as we get nearer Christmas, of the signed books arrangement I have with  Waterstone’s in Hampstead High Street, not far from where I live … anyone who wants a signed copy of my diaries can order them via them, and I will pop up to the shop every now and then and sign [...]

I have not mentioned anywhere the attention-seeking, abusive and offensive remarks of a well-known TV presenter about strikers. He was on the TV at the time ‘to launch a new DVD’ so the abusiveness and offensiveness were deliberate and the means of attention-seeking. His publicist will on balance be happy, the DVD will sell well, [...]

Technical hitches earlier. Here is link for transcript of my evidence to the Leveson inquiry. And here is the submission I made. And with thanks to one of my twitter followers, who has sent me cuttings from today’s papers, I can say something I never thought I would say – that the straightest reporting of [...]

I know it has been posted on several of the main news websites, as well as on the Inquiry website, but I thought for the record I should put it here too. SUBMISSION TO THE LEVESON INQUIRY FROM ALASTAIR CAMPBELL Thank you for your letter drawing attention to my statement of 2004 that ‘if the [...]

A word of advice for George Osborne before he delivers his economic statement to the Commons … and before anyone shouts at me ‘why are you helping HIM???‘ 1. He won’t read it, and 2. Even if one of his advisers does, he/she will be too busy to tell him, and 3. Even if they [...]

Very good night at the fundraiser for Ed Miliband’s constituency party in Doncaster last night. Good turnout, good mood, and after someone in the q and a had raised the crisis of capitalism, it duly emerged – in the form of sold out raffle tickets. Anyone who knows anything about Labour fundraisers will know why [...]

As part of my new regime – lost 17 pounds in seven weeks, for which I was surprised to get a round of applause at an awards dinner I hosted last night – I now try to walk at least one journey per day that I would otherwise go by car, taxi, tube or bus. [...]

If you listen to local radio, there is a chance you might hear me today, as I am heading for a marathon local radio session to talk about a new report on schizophrenia. Rethink Mental Illness have commissioned a survey which has exposed the widespread belief in the continuing myths surrounding one of the most [...]

What with my best friend dying, too many speeches I’d contracted to do, too many charity gigs I’d committed to, my film on bagpipes taking me to the Hebrides, not to mention an inability to live without exercise every day, I am reaching the end of the week in a state close to exhaustion. That [...]