So much of politics is about the daily grind of political business: the people to see, the myriad different facets of government, the remorseless agenda of this part of the media or that.

Politics may be the art of the possible; but, at least in life, give the impossible a go.

I always say, when they ask me about American politics, is for you guys to decide who you elect.

If I'd proposed solving the pension problem by compulsory euthanasia for every fifth pensioner I'd have got less trouble for it.

Where radical Islamism is going to be a factor, it's going to be very, very tough.

Fanaticism is not a state of religion but a state of mind.

But the world is ever more interdependent. Stock markets and economies rise and fall together. Confidence is the key to prosperity. Insecurity spreads like contagion. So people crave stability and order.