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.

My favourite novel is Frederick Forsythe's Day Of The Jackal, the story about the unproven case of this apparent Englishman who was hired to assassinate De Gaulle….

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.

Courage is a peculiar kind of fear.

Befriending provides a valuable lifeline to many people who feel isolated in their communities often as a result of ill health or poverty. I would like to thank all those who volunteer as befrienders and I hope that your numbers will increase in coming years. Your kindness and hard work is, I know, very much appreciated by those you help.

Politicians are good at saying how Government must do more, but we must also think carefully about where Government should do less.

There are hard choices to be made in balancing the country's security and an individual's liberties. But it is a choice that has to be faced.