It is almost always wrong that the time isn't ripe to decide something. That is always said of difficult problems.

But the ability to articulate what you are doing, to be clear about it, and to stick to it is, I think, the essence of political leadership.

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 is a sort of great Victorian truth that actually, trying to do the right thing is pretty good for you and pretty good for business as well, by and large.

So, what I say to people is that politics has got to be about principle and values above all. Of course, there are times when you have to make accommodations.

Those of us who had a perfectly happy childhood should be able to sue for deprivation of literary royalties.

There is a sort of exotic preposterousness about a lot of elections, the way arguments are made even cruder.