I do think there is a great deal of caricature around the House of Commons. It is just that kind of place.

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.

Relationships are never static. They have to evolve over time as the individuals in them change.

A Mercury is not made out of any block of wood.

There’s no copy-and- paste system in foreign aid.

There's a saying, 'It's easy to write songs, but very difficult to write great songs.' I'm going through that right now.

Though I don't like the crew, I won't sink the ship. In fact, in time of storm I'll do my best to save it. You see, we are all in this craft and must sink or swim together.

The walls have ears, better think before you throw that shoe.

Somewhere between the bottom of the climb and the summit is the answer to the mystery why we climb.

The saying that beauty is but skin deep, is but a skin-deep saying.

I hate to sound like an old fuddy duddy, but the game has changed.

The intelligent fights only when he must and never for sport.