My first guiding principle is this: willing and active co-operation between independent sovereign states. Europe will be stronger precisely because it has France as France, Spain as Spain, Britain as Britain, each with its own customs, traditions and identity. It would be folly to try to fit them into some sort of identikit European personality.

The first step in calculating which way to go is to find out where you are.

I've learned one thing in politics. You don't take a decision until you have to.

Socialists are happy until they run out of other people's money.

We introduced the Community Charge. I still call it that. I like the Poles - I never had any intention of taxing them.

The desire to achieve grand utopian plans often poses a grave threat to freedom.

What great cause would have been fought and won under the banner 'I stand for consensus'?