A faith is something you die for; a doctrine is something you kill for; there is all the difference in the world.

Some of the jam we thought was for tomorrow, we've already eaten

There is no final victory, as there is no final defeat. There is just the same battle. To be fought, over and over again. So toughen up, bloody toughen up.

All war represents a failure of diplomacy.

The Civil Service is a bit like a rusty weathercock. It moves with opinion then it stays where it is until another wind moves it in a different direction

Although socialism is widely held by the establishment to be outdated, the things that are most popular in British society today are little pockets of socialism, where areas of life have been excluded from the crude operation of market forces and are protected for the benefit of the community

The one thing that unites Sunni, Shiites and Kurds is they want the Americans out.