Why did I desert Labour? Total bloody disillusionment. The party was a corpse. It had no ideology, it became detached, old, spineless and needed to go.

For better or worse, I've been involved in the description of political conflict.

Why did I desert Labour? Total bloody disillusionment. The party was a corpse. It had no ideology, it became detached, old, spineless and needed to go.

Smiley was soaked to the skin and God as a punishment had removed all taxis from the face of London.

I have a theory which I suspect is rather immoral,' Smiley went on, more lightly. 'Each of us has only a quantum of compassion. That if we lavish our concern on every stray cat, we never get to the centre of things.

To possess another language is to possess another soul.

When you're my age and you see a story, you better go for it pretty quickly. I'd just like to get a few more novels under my belt.