Alastair Campbell: 'You have to have at least that threat of military action'

Alastair Campbell, spin doctor once fierce, begins to feel like a "proper" writer. He has just published his third, and is reluctant to talk about politics. But there is no way out of Syria

Two versions of Alastair Campbell after Downing street car struck the back of a taxi one day last December, on the way to lunch with the head of the Socialist Party of Albania. Campbell has been a consultant Edi Rama at the next general election in Albania, including Rama duly won last week ("Having a landslide! New campaign fought suitable work"), but on the way to lunch, hit literary inspiration.

"There is a small notebook in your pocket, and do not ask me why, but I got in the taxi and wrote." My name is Ana, this is my story "Then I turned the page and wrote: "? .. My name is Kate, I did my best" Since I arrived 12 characters How it happened Edi said: "I can not believe but finally I have the idea for my next novel. "

Nine months later, here Campbell is located north of London in your living room, a copy of the hardcover My Name Is ... Cool printers on the coffee table. It is not willing to talk about the political party, let alone the whole of Syria (even if later we do), the only version of yourself you want to be today the novelist. It's so different from your old control, spin-doctor remote I think someone who always think of him as a tyrant Blair would hardly recognize this poignant excited unattended Campbell even strangely innocent.

His first two novels were perfectly respectable, but read as a former journalist fiction idea - a bit awkward and concept-heavy, too busy to make a point to let the characters come alive . But he wrote the first draft of my name is ..., about a teenager named Hannah, who becomes an alcoholic, a few days before last Christmas, "just poured out of me," marvels. A characters came to him in a dream, write some chapters moved to tears and scenes came to him while he was on the bike, and will dismount and type frantically on your BlackBerry. I do not know not where the story would go, and sometimes, as he writes, "I felt as if I was taking care of him."

He became a good writer exclaimed. "No, I'm not," he protested, but shyly admits: "It is very rare, it is a good novelist." He seems happy when I say that I loved the book when I look sheepish finish, and when you leave your phone pictures in an apartment he found exploring the north London where he thought Hannah lived, he shows a tender, almost paternal pride. Each chapter is written from the first person perspective of different people in the life of Hannah - parents, friends, brothers, police - and I am the first to comment, he said with pride that women's voices are most vividly convincing. He says he has always been more "sensitive and caring" people gave credit for, but this is a Campbell I've never seen before. He even came round to think Page 3 should be banned - despite their 19 year old daughter, Grace, a feminist campaign to take credit for it

sensitivity was not an obvious quality back in their big days of consumption. In the mid-80s in the Daily Mirror, he could drink 32 pints per day - not to mention the whiskey - and systematically "a brazen dozen" for lunch. All came to a disastrous end of the hysterics and diagnosis of alcoholism in 1986, and he has not touched a drop in 13 years. He calls himself an alcoholic more, though, and he looks a little uncomfortable with the question.

"I do not like talking about it because I think it's a bad message - .. But I have a drink from time to time, but I think I have to be honest about it, "In 1999, drank a glass of wine in private - to test, he thinks. "You know, they say that if you are a true alcoholic and a drink that goes well, I wanted to see if it was true for me. Which was very stupid thing to do when you first press secretary to the minister."

But he found he could not get one, and now drinks very rarely, and only ever came with your partner just 33 years, Fiona Millar, but he admitted to both the world two years ago. "Very often, Tony said:" There are many things that could cope with, but if you went back to drinking it would be a big problem for me, "he offered quietly" I used to be totally. honest especially with Tony. But not that. "

He still drinks rarely, because "I do not want in my normal life again now," It is, he said, was part of the point of writing this novel. "All world has a relationship with alcohol, and the country has a relationship with alcohol, and I believe the country's relationship is in a very bad place -. standardization and this is due This is not a political book, but it has a political message. standard drink at all levels of our society, I mean, I like the idea of ??looking like a middle-aged old fart, but honestly, I watch TV and I see breaks advertising during football matches and is the normalization of gambling and alcohol. "

Any other announcement, he said, is a bookmaker or a drink. When he is on the bike in London and bored count the number of places where alcohol is sold or advertised "and a bike ride three hours to see literally thousands and thousands. You see them every few seconds. " Until recently, he had always believed that drugs pose a greater threat than alcohol, but "liver disease is the single leading cause of death in the UK is increasing, and now I am absolutely convinced that the alcohol is a much more important drug "problem.

was "very disappointed" by the removal of David Cameron on the minimum price. "Because I think we have a real problem, you know, Russia -. Not my favorite countries in the world -. Who have had great success in the treatment of alcoholism, and passed on prices and availability "Critics say that it is his hand a bit rich, since c ' Blair was allowed 24 hours. "Well, I've never been a big fan of it, and I've never bought the idea that we would have become like Spain or Italy. .? And I think the alcohol lobby is very sophisticated and intelligent "you say he was behind licenses 24 hours," Look, I've never been -. Know that it is perceived wisdom has always been driving the policy, but I was not, so I do not know "

• Up to this point has been surprisingly gay, given the warlike reputation. Remove my shoes joke about their midlife crisis (light blue suede with such a unique two-tone effect - bought two pairs) with good humor, and while being photographed outside has a wide smile and a friendly greeting for pedestrians. The only time it becomes palpable uncomfortable when the conversation turns to the territory of which approximates to criticize the work, either in the past or the present, and looks pretty uncomfortable on law reforms regretting licenses Working.
• "We certainly do not have to be in a position where I am critical," strongly agree. It "has not benefited all summer" because of all criticism of Ed Miliband, and can not bear to be the kind of man would say. "Oh, that would never have happened in my day" seem to appreciate the loyalty above all - and that extends to the values ??of work, too, unlike Blair and Peter Mandelson, who still lives in the same house, and well you can earn more than ? 10,000 just to give a speech, he would feel "very bad about myself" if that is all he did, he was a ruler. "If I get a paid speech, I must make a feast of charity or something before you can make another payment. "He divides his time between writing, speaking, consulting, sports and charity, and the doubts he will never take another excellent work full-time. "I never thought I would be an independent thing, but I find it difficult to see what would be a job for me to give up my freedom now."

However, you can not resist to make a point about the message of the current economic work. "The Conservatives have been very, very successful in convincing the public a complete lie - this line," the mess we inherited "- and we have what it means is that you only need a little recovery said. " We have done our job. "They did not do their job, they do what he says he would not have put the economy, and we had a good decade of growth and prosperity that ended badly because an international crisis that Gordon really fucking deal. But we have allowed "mess we inherited" to become a fact, because we wanted to make the case, and it is a strategic mistake. "

Is it recoverable? "It recoverable as they recognize the need to do so. But too many people in the Labour Party does not want to. Britain was not a disaster when Cameron took over. Commission growth LSE just said Great Britain was not ready for the worse crisis than anyone else, and had an economic success to tell. But we do not tell him. "

Campbell
The only problem I really do not want to talk, however, are the comments on Syria last week, just before parliament broke two labor movements and Tory action military. "To step aside and say we can do nothing," he told ITV Daybreak, "it would be highly irresponsible and very dangerous." I'm sure Campbell would be silent if I knew Miliband would not support the government's motion, and now you're stuck having to defend this position indiscriminately work.

"Look," fresh "to a Bosnian friend told me the other day:" You are divorced itself from Europe and is now divorcing yourself from States States, what happens "You know, we found ourselves in a situation where Assad has used chemical weapons against his own people, and we in England have finished in the position to say," Well beyond of try to help with humanitarian clear, in fact there is nothing we can do. "My point is that you must have at least the threat of military action. Britain has been removed as well as, and I think this is a very good position to be in. "


now almost hilarious. Because he does not want to criticize the leader of the Labour Party? "Well, I do not particularly want to criticize Cameron, either I have empathy and sympathy for the politicians I'm not sitting here saying.." Whack a load of cruise missiles now. But you must be very careful in a way that neither moot. can not have a position on something as important as this, where the House of Commons can never go back. Especially when the two movements have said that in certain circumstances they could use military action. government's motion was largely supported by government banks, the opposition and the movement was widely supported by the opposition benches. How can Cameron then rise and that military action on the table forever? "
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U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, said rule under review, two years after the end of the protection of wolves in Montana, Idaho and Wyoming

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The measure was withdrawn protection in all the lower 48 states for a symbolic animal is seen by its supporters as a symbol of open spaces the Rocky Mountain West - and by farmers as a pest in herds . Only a small population of about 75 Mexican gray wolves in Arizona and New Mexico, would be under the protection of the federal government, according to the Los Angeles Times, which obtained a draft standard.

United States Fish and Wildlife Service, told reporters the new standard was still under consideration and would be open to public comment.

• The decision was long overdue. After being hunted to extinction in the early 20th century, as official government policy, the wolf population had rebounded in states like Montana, Idaho and Wyoming after the species was reintroduced . The Obama administration has ended the protection of wolves in the states in 2011, thanks to a strong recovery.
• The federal government has also allowed hunting in the Rocky Mountain West - leading to death last year of 10 wolves in the area around Yellowstone National Park, including seven who wore collars. One of them was the female Alpha 6, probably the most photographed wolf. The government continued to monitor populations of charge and is preparing to reintroduce protection if necessary.

The last movement, as revealed by the project, would be left to each state to manage wolf populations. Environmentalists said they could undermine the recovery of wolves "in much of the Rocky Mountains. Authorities estimated that the recovery of the population of Mountain States, where there are about 1,600 wolves, and scattered populations in California , Oregon, Washington and parts of New England for animals ensured the survival lasrge across the country. However, biologists have argued that the end protections for wolves could undo a rare conservation success.

Since its reintroduction in 1990, with about 60 animals brought from Canada, wolf populations have recovered in the Rocky Mountain West. The animals are prolific and also toured extensively breeding, restoring populations in large areas of the Rocky Mountains.

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