Alastair Campbell
Alastair Campbell is a British journalist, broadcaster, political aide and author. He is editor at large of The New European and chief interviewer for GQ magazine. He is best known for his work as Tony Blair’s spokesman and campaign director (1994–1997), followed by Downing Street Press Secretary (1997–2000), for Labour Prime Minister Tony Blair. He then became Director of Communications for the Labour Party (2000–2003).
Books by Alastair Campbell
“It is warts and all. I mean, often the writer of a diary has the temptation to make themselves the hero of every chapter. This is not the case in Alastair Campbell’s. He recognises when he’s done something wrong, or argued the wrong case, or not supported Tony Blair in the way that he would have wanted to. They’re very raw. I think that transcends every single volume I published…As a collection of diaries, they’re a really important historical document.” Read more...
The best books on The British Parliament
Iain Dale, Political Commentator
“The thing about Alastair is he did enjoy total access at the highest level – in public Blair always appeared utterly self-assured and totally confident, but when you read these diaries a slightly different picture emerges. He was always ringing up Alastair to seek reassurance at all times of the day and night, often many times on the same issue. Alastair’s reliability is pretty high because he was recording on a day-to-day basis. Obviously he had his own prejudices but I don’t think he made things up, and you can’t really dispute the fact that he had a very high level of influence because he was right at the centre.” Read more...
Chris Mullin, Politician
Interviews with Alastair Campbell
Alastair Campbell on Leadership
Alastair Campbell, Tony Blair’s former communications chief, takes a look at leadership in politics and in sport, recognising that ordinary citizens can show courageous moral leadership
Interviews where books by Alastair Campbell were recommended
The Best Political Diaries, recommended by Chris Mullin
The Labour MP on political diaries. A nugget from the day of the Norway debate, which brought down the Chamberlain government: ‘Sunny morning, went riding in Richmond Park. Strolled into the House for the Norway debate’
The best books on The British Parliament, recommended by Iain Dale
Westminster is one of the oldest and most influential legislatures in the world. Here, Iain Dale—one of Britain’s leading political commentators—recommends the best books that offer insights into the inner workings of the British parliament, highlighting first-hand accounts both from the floor of the House of Commons and of the wrangling that goes on behind the scenes.
The best books on Ethics in Public Life, recommended by Alex Carlile
The Lib Dem peer says that reading Cicero’s speeches, George Eliot’s novels and Gerard Manley Hopkins’s poems can help us manage the ethical dilemmas of our own historical moment, and provide clues to human nature
