I am genuinely not an over-the-top kind of person about politics or anything else.

We should have high expectations of our children, but politicians should not tell teachers how to meet them.

I'm not someone who dwells upon past events, taking the view that life is too short

I'm a fully paid-up member of the human race.

Actually, I think it's quite sensible not to take yourself too seriously.

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

Music and politics are in essence about communication. Without over-stretching the analogy I do feel a sense of rhythm is important in getting your message across.