It’s official: Together is launched. It has slipped out of the dry dock and into the literary sea. The party to celebrate all this took place on Tuesday 22nd in the basement of a former horse hospital (where London cabbies once took their injured horses). As well as being the launch of the book I styled the evening as the inaugural meeting of the ‘Together Appreciation Society (London Branch)’. There was a speech by the General Secretary (me) followed by the society’s Honorary President, Roland Philipps (my editor). There was a blackboard containing society rules. Positions were handed out, from Vice Minister of Vice to the Honorary Chief Inspector of Fashion Police. And there were badges. Lots of badges. I’m still wearing mine.

But don’t take my word for it. You can read about the launch on the brilliant Philip Womack’s blog, or weblog, as he likes to call it, and it even appeared in the Evening Standard’s Londoner’s Diary, which made my day.

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Not long ago I got an email from a friend who had come to the RSA debate earlier this month. He works in the public sector and liked the idea that our understanding of community needs to be broadened. But he came away from the debate wanting to know more about the next step. In other words, what can policy-makers take from Together?

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Here’s a scan of the piece I wrote for today’s T2.

(I’m assuming this is not a breach of copyright, but in case there’s any doubt the copyright remains fully with The Times and if it shouldn’t be up here let me know and I’ll take it down immediately.)

Two of my pieces that appeared over the last ten days: one in the Financial Times, the other in The Times (sadly off limits unless you can find a way beyond their paywall). The Financial Times piece is well worth a look just for the superb photographs commissioned by the FT and taken by Peter Marlow of Magnum.

Here are the spreads from my piece in the FT Magazine. If you click on each page it should become larger and more legible.

All material (c) Financial Times and Peter Marlow 2011