We must admit that history is enjoyable to a large extent because it enables us to pass judgment on the past.

Some people find it difficult to argue with a woman Prime Minister and shrivel up.

It is normal for politicians in all countries to profess themselves the pupils of history, anxious to draw the right lessons from her teaching.

There are thus great swathes of the past where understanding is more important and reputable than judgement, because the principal actors performed in line with the ideas and values of that time, not of ours.

The tragedy of 9/11 galvanised the American superpower into action, leaving us in Europe divided in its wake.

But Germany will always suffer, I fear, from the intensely dramatic character of the crimes of the Third Reich.

Ten Downing Street is a house, not an office. That is its most important characteristic.