Kenneth Clarke Quotes

I am certainly not a blogger. Quite a large proportion of them are nuts and extremists - with the honourable exception of the culture secretary.

I have acquired a deep and abiding respect for all those engaged in the difficult business of commerce.

I don't think at my age... you can start ruling people out in politics.

The political health of Britain has deteriorated very sharply. The Conservative Party must do something about it. I am the man to do it.

I am getting frustrated by the fact that we have been out of office for eight years. I desperately want to lead the Conservative Party to make quicker progress back into power.

I am sorry to upset my colleagues by saying we wasted four years in opposition, but if you do get so badly defeated as a party you do have to face up to some painful facts and you do have to change.

Of course I'd have loved to be Prime Minister. But I'm not nursing a grievance.

I have never read it. You should not waste your time.

I look forward to the day when the Westminster Parliament is just a council chamber in Europe

With the greatest respect, we do not make the criminal law on the basis of opinion polls. A majority of 9:1 could be in favour of a ban in my constituency, but I would not regard that as conclusive, and I hope that we never would. If we start having opinion polls about all the unpleasant and distasteful habits and customs of some members of society, and suggesting that their findings should be made part of the criminal law, foxhunting would come way down the list, and quite a lot of strange enactments would have to go through the House.

It would be immoral to walk away from the consequences of our actions, leaving behind anarchy and civil war in Iraq.

However, we do not lack anti-terrorist laws. I do not believe that the recent London bombs were the result of any deficiencies in our legal system.