It's stupid to have a simple-minded view.

I have not a clue why they sent it to me. As far as I know I have not got a reputation as a receiver of stolen goods.

The cure for cynicism is simply to engage honestly.

I've spent my whole life being told I have a face like a horse. You are just what you are, aren't you?

It would be unforgivable to use the role I have, such as it is, to inflict my incoherent, half-baked view of the world on people. That would be illegitimate and unacceptable and I should be fired.

At work people are expected to be at the beck and call of employers all the time. You have blackberries and other things, and they just don't leave you alone. People have less time just to drop into an art gallery.

It's not just politicians. Any spokesman for a vested interest is well schooled in how to say what it is they wish to say, which may bear no relation at all to what you've asked them.