There were no international terrorists in Iraq until we went in. It was we who gave the perfect conditions in which Al Qaeda could thrive.

Bin Laden was, though, a product of a monumental miscalculation by western security agencies. Throughout the 80s he was armed by the CIA and funded by the Saudis to wage jihad against the Russian occupation of Afghanistan. Al-Qaida, literally "the database", was originally the computer file of the thousands of mujahideen who were recruited and trained with help from the CIA to defeat the Russians.

Chicken Tikka Massala is now a true British national dish, not only because it is the most popular, but because it is a perfect illustration of the way Britain absorbs and adapts external influences.

I can't accept collective responsibility for the decision to commit Britain now to military action in Iraq without international agreement or domestic support.

The longer we remain in Iraq the more our occupation becomes part of the problem... rather than the solution.

Tony Blair has to consider very carefully to what extent he can leave Britain, the party and the nation guessing as to when exactly he might go.

If it looks like a duck, quacks like a duck, it's a duck!