Dear Seumas,
First things first, congratulations – you have one of the great jobs in politics. When you believe in something there is nothing better than trying to steer it to success. You are already experiencing one of the great paradoxes of your position – you have lost your voice. Yesterday you could write, say, tweet whatever you wanted – you were Chairman, Chief Executive and sole employee of Seumas Milne Enterprises. Today, you are a staffer – a man who lives in the shadows. As someone who has written well and controversially on many things there will be many of your words thrown at you. You will be mocked, maligned and misrepresented – and not only must you not answer back, you can’t, you simply can’t. Don’t be drawn into a fight, however tempting – and it is, the aim is to make you angry. And anger fogs the mind, preventing you from doing what you have to do – be strategic.
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