From the outset Blair's government played a significant role in the Northern Ireland peace process; in the book Blair admits to using "a certain amount of creative ambiguity" to secure an agreement, [23] claiming the process would not have succeeded otherwise. He says that he stretched the truth "on occasions past breaking point" in the run-up to the 2007 power-sharing deal which enabled the return of devolved legislative powers from Westminster to the Northern Ireland Executive. [24] Both Gerry Adams and Martin McGuinness of Sinn Féin are praised for the part they played in the peace process. [24] Iqbal, Nosheen. "Politics, privilege and podcasts: at home with Alastair Campbell". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 8 June 2019 . Retrieved 11 June 2019.

The picture Rawnsley presents is of an inexperienced government in permanent panic and almost wholly paralysed by fear: fear of not being re-elected, fear of economic crisis, fear of rebellious old Labour MPs, fear of the civil service, fear of the press, fear of repeating their party's past mistakes, fear above all that they simply weren't up to the job. "New Labour ever had a palpitating heart," writes Rawnsley. Blair may always have known in his heart that he would do the right thing but, in domestic affairs at least, he didn't always know what the right thing was or how to do it. The specific policy promises were modest, to the point of being mundane. Blair would, however, make a nicer, happier, kinder society, though also one that was more youthful, modern and dynamic. The NHS would be saved, schools and universities made "world-class", the constitution streamlined, the leadership of Europe grasped. Blair promised national renewal, a spiritual experience, not a political one. ALASTAIR CAMPBELL: Why I no longer want to be readmitted to Labour". The New European. Archived from the original on 4 August 2019 . Retrieved 2 August 2019. He has been one of the most dynamic leaders of modern times; few British prime ministers have shaped the nation's course as profoundly as Blair during his ten years in power, and his achievements and his legacy will be debated for years to come.The Irish Diaries". lilliputpress.ie. The Lilliput Press. Archived from the original on 29 November 2017 . Retrieved 10 May 2017. Alastair Campbell says Labour expulsion was discriminatory". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 9 June 2019 . Retrieved 10 June 2019. In July 2017, he was invited to speak at the French National Assembly to the newly elected MPs of President Emmanuel Macron's victorious En Marche party, Campbell having met and advised Macron during the campaign. He urged the French to be patient with the United Kingdom and to give them a chance to change course and reverse Brexit. He said Macron had been bolder than Tony Blair in setting up a new party and leading it to power within little over a year. [60] [61] Alastair Campbell joins The New European as editor-at-large". The New European. 24 March 2017. Archived from the original on 14 April 2017 . Retrieved 13 April 2017.

Alex Jennings (I)". Internet Movie Database. Archived from the original on 7 February 2009 . Retrieved 25 July 2009. Jeremy Corbyn fronts cover of GQ – but rejects Campbell interview". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 10 December 2017 . Retrieved 9 December 2017. In July 2019, in the week Boris Johnson became prime minister, Campbell penned a 3,500-word open letter to Jeremy Corbyn saying he no longer wished to be re-admitted to the party despite legal advice saying he would win a court case against his expulsion. He called on Corbyn to step down and cited his "failure" on Brexit, antisemitism, broader policy and "above all the failure to develop and execute a strategy". The story was broken in The Guardian and the full letter published in The New European. Corbyn said he was "disappointed", prompting Campbell to ask why he had been expelled. [76] [77] Campbell clashed with Adam Boulton on Sky News about the result of the 2010 general election, with the latter being reduced to shouting over both Campbell and the show's presenter. [33]

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Campbell voted Labour in the 2019 general election, having been part of a failed tactical voting campaign aimed at preventing Johnson from winning a majority. [71] [78] Members of the public get a chance to become prime minister in new show". The Independent. 18 May 2022. The Happy Depressive: In Pursuit of Personal and Political Happiness (2012). Arrow. ISBN 0-09-957982-0 Anything goes, if good money is to be made. Thus he can fly (private jet, of course) to Florida to make a speech to the International Sanitary Supply Association. In his spare time Campbell plays the bagpipes to relieve stress. In December 2017, a musical project he was involved in won the Community Award at the Na Trads traditional Scottish music awards. He had played the bagpipes at a concert in Glasgow earlier in the year, staged entirely by musicians with links to Tiree. The Tiree Community Songbook was made into a CD, which won a Community award at the Traditional Music awards. [87]