Yes, you need substance in politics - but I think your style also says something about how you arrive at some of your conclusions.

The one thing we can all be sure about in politics is you are as well to expect the unexpected.

Politics is much too serious to be taken too seriously; equally, there are many aspects of it so laughable as to be lamentable.

There is no satisfaction to be derived from having had many of our arguments borne out by events.

The quicker we get rid of the lobby system the better for all of us. I don't think in this day and age it is tenable to have these nods and winks, and on-the-record and off-the-record briefings.

It is true that I entered parliament at the age of 23, and have now been representing the people of my constituency for over twenty years.

We Liberal Democrats believe in dialogue. We believe in cooperation with both sides of industry and between both sides of industry. And we believe in the language of cooperation. We reject the language of confrontation.