The Alistair Campbell Interview and highlights from ‘The Burden of Power: Countdown to Iraq – The Alastair Campbell …

ALISTAIR Campbell has been working the media to flog his latest book, The Burden of Power: Countdown to Iraq The Alastair Campbell Diaries. He did not download it off the internet in 45 minutes. But on the web (here) can read thethe full transcript from last nights book launch at Queen Mary, University of London, where Campbell was interviewed by John Rentoul Independent on Sunday columist and Queen Mary History Fellow, and introduced by Alun Evans of the Cabinet Office.The event was hosted by the Mile End Group.

Campbell talks about:

- The Vanity Fair journalist who said, can I ask you about your faith. Campbell stepped in and said David, we dont do God. That is how it started. He put I, in his piece, on like page 25. The Daily Telegraph picked it up and ran it on like page seven. And it then just sort of went whoosh. And now I get asked about it all the time.

- Tony Blairs time in office: Tony had only a small group around him who he could completely trust. Trust in the obvious sense but also trust to say what we think. I thought one of his huge strengths as a leader was that he was surrounded by people who werent at all deferential, we would always say what we thought and he would then kind of weigh that up.

- Blairs decision to sack Gordon Brown in 2003. He obviously thought that was the right thing then but very quickly he got in to the mindset of thinking actually its not black and white and you cant quite predict what will happen if I do, and so he didnt.

- Having to read his diary, in full, to a complete stranger for the Hutton Inquiry: I did read the really personal bits in there and I did at one point break down in tears saying I just cant do this, I dont see why and I having to do this?. And he said: look I know this is really, really hard but the Prime Minister has set up an inquiry, you are a key advisor to the Prime Minister, youve got to cooperate in every which way. Now, Im glad I took the advice. Because with Lord Hutton I think my diaries actually helped rather than hindered.

First-year Queen Mary geography student, Temitayo Akindeinde caused much hilarity from the rest of the audience when she asked Campbell which of his legs was longer than the other? He took off his shoes to pull out his orthotics, revealing that the right leg was shorter. Campell told Temitayo that her question was something no one had ever asked him, and he bought her a copy of his diaries at the book-signing afterwards.

The full transcript:

John Rentoul:

I have read all of the fourth volume, I am pleased to say I have defaced and damaged the book, turned down most of the corners and scrawled in the margins. Im not really middle class as you can tell; youre not supposed to do that to books.But its fascinating stuff, as you would expect because this was really the turmoil years of the Blair Government, 2001 to 2003. Youve got everything from 9/11 to the Iraq War, which, of course, was the sort of turning point for Blair Government.What is absolutely amazing reading this is that Tony Blair carried on being Prime Minister for four years after all this happened, and after he lost Alastair Campbell, who was such a huge supporter.And there are all sorts of very important things in this, such as one of Alastair Campbells legs is longer than the other. I dont know what that signifies but it makes running marathons pretty difficult.But let me start by asking Alastair, if you could just tell us how you wrote this? How often did you write this? How long did you spend writing it? Was it done on the computer or was it hand written?

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The Alistair Campbell Interview and highlights from ‘The Burden of Power: Countdown to Iraq – The Alastair Campbell ...