We should be wary of politicians who profess to follow history while only noticing those signposts of history that point in the direction which they themselves already favour.

Diplomacy is unfashionable in the world of knee-jerk reaction and the dogmatic sound bite on television.

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

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

War on Iraq runs the risk of turning the Middle East into an inexhaustible recruiting ground for anti- western terrorism.

Silence is regarded as a sort of sin now, and it has to be filled with a lot of gossip and soundbites.

There is no consensus even today on the merits of Napoleon - and certainly no agreement on the rights and wrongs of the origins of the First World War.