Hong Kong's people will get what they want, despite China's objections. Freedom invariably wins in the end.

In a democracy everybody has a right to be represented, including the jerks.

We have our own system, ... and journalists in our system are not put in prison for embarrassing the government by revealing things the government might not wish to have revealed. The important thing is that our system, under which journalists can write without fear or favor, should continue.

Anyone who supposed that when Margaret Thatcher left Number Ten she was going to take a Trappist vow did not know that formidable politician.

You don't have to wait until people say they accept everything you say until you are actually prepared to sit down and discuss matters with them.

It'd make a wonderful change to have the leader of a pluralist democracy who acted on that, who told people just how tough things are going to be, just what's going to have to be done - and, maybe, ran all the risks on the side of honesty, rather than spinning stories and trying to win the headlines every day.

I think that if politics is just about getting your backside on important seats, then it's a pretty worthless endeavor.