Only in Britain could it be thought a defect to be too clever by half. The probability is that too many people are too stupid by three-quarters.

"Government gets things right" does not encourage sales. "Government makes another blunder" does encourage sales, so there's a commercial imperative that pushes sensationalism.

I would rather go while I am being urged to stay, than to stay beyond the time when I should go.

If you look back historically, admittedly a long time ago, there were three Afghan wars in which Britain didn't even come a good second. In more recent years the Russians were there with 120,000 men for ten years.

I don't think it's the role of the prime minister to court the press.

Political suicide can end a career.

Whatever efforts for peace President Gorbachev had in mind, they were pretty substantially undercut very swiftly by Saddam Hussein.