Alastair Campbell

We do need to do something about this.

It's very brutal.

Well, it's happened to us in Essex.

Essex County Council, which was a conservative run for decades, we've completely lost control.

It's a reform-run council.

And for a lot of people, a lot of activists, a lot of councillors,

It is a complete shock.

It's an unprecedented shock.

It's like nothing they've experienced before.

So it's something new.

So the question is how you respond to that.

It's interesting, again, in your question.

For me, the fundamental question is,

is do you get elected to be elected or do you get elected to do things that you believe in?

There is a real temptation to just try and be where the electorate seems to be in the moment.

So you're chasing after the votes.

And perhaps, I'm not saying it's inevitable, but perhaps in order to do that, you need to say and potentially do things that you don't believe in, that you're uncomfortable with.

The public spot it.

Well, I think the public do spot it, if you're not being honest with yourselves.

But even if they don't, even if they don't, even if you con them for a little bit, and you then get elected on what is a false prospectus,