For any new leader of any party at any given time it takes time if you are not in government to establish yourself.

To run an effective political party you need a degree of tribalism, it's the glue that holds everyone together.

Courage is a peculiar kind of fear.

The quicker we get rid of the lobby system the better for all of us. I don't think in this day and age it is tenable to have these nods and winks, and on-the-record and off-the-record briefings.

Immigrants provide skills that we simply cannot afford to do without. They have contributed hugely to Britain's success.

Three simple words - freedom, justice and honesty. These sum up what the Liberal Democrats stand for.

Paddy Ashdown is the only party leader who's a trained killer. Although, to be fair, Mrs Thatcher was self taught.

We should have high expectations of our children, but politicians should not tell teachers how to meet them.

My favourite novel is Frederick Forsythe's Day Of The Jackal, the story about the unproven case of this apparent Englishman who was hired to assassinate De Gaulle….

Music and politics are in essence about communication. Without over-stretching the analogy I do feel a sense of rhythm is important in getting your message across.

The one thing we can all be sure about in politics is you are as well to expect the unexpected.

Only priests and fools are fearless and I've never been on the best of terms with God.

He wondered how sick in heart a woman needed to be for her to forsake a delight in flowers.

It is the quality of our work which will please God and not the quantity.

How much good it would do if one could exterminate the human race.

Imitation is always insult--not flattery.

When an intelligent man reaches the point of inviting self-explanation and offers surrendering the key to his heart, he is assuredly riding a drunken horse.

One of the great problems with Americans is that - being a decent people - they assume that everyone else is equally decent.

If CART continues on, it's just going to drag all of open-wheel racing down.

We now have exactly the same situation as we had at the start of the race, only exactly the opposite.

To study the abnormal is the best way of understanding the normal.