It is important not to allow ever wider coalition-building to become an end in itself. As we saw in the Gulf War of 1990, international pressures, particularly those exerted from within an alliance, can result in the failure to follow actions through and so leave future problems unresolved.

I have never knowingly made a non-controversial speech in my life.

First you win the argument, then you win the vote.

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

We have been ruled by men who live by illusions ... the illusion that there is some other way of creating wealth than hard work and satisfying your customers.

How very popular to say, 'spend more on this, expend more on that.' And of course, we all have our favorite causes; I know I do. But someone has to add up the figures. Every business has to do it, every housewife has to do it, [and] every government should do it.

Socialist governments traditionally do make a financial mess. They always run out of other people's money. It's quite a characteristic of them.