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

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

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.

I don't want a headline saying 'Kennedy suggests this or implies that.'

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….

I can hardly think of an occasion when I've got into a stand-up fight with any political opponent. I've got my views, people know what they are, they can agree or they can choose to disagree. I'm not going to waste time just rubbishing everybody else.

For any new leader of any party at any given time it takes time if you are not in government to establish yourself.