Any fair-minded person should ask themselves why this creative, dedicated, and invaluable public servant is subjected to so much captious denigration

It is where the politics come in. The Chancellor has to get the tone right. While not shirking the bad news, he must persuade us that it will not last forever

Civil servants would rather work for a rude but effective minister than for a courteous and weak one

The evidence is overwhelming. Any fair-minded person who examines the Gulf of Mexico oil spillage is compelled to two conclusions. First, that there is no evidence of wrongdoing by BP. Second, that the President of the United States has behaved disgracefully.

No one told electorates in rich countries they would have to pay up for the rest, because even in war-guilty Germany every sane politician knew what the answer would be

It is not clear whether his changes to the 1922 Committee were either necessary or wise. It is useful to allow backbenchers to have an outlet for their grievances

By agreeing to negotiate with the Liberals in good faith, the Tory leader was able to occupy the moral high ground, and use his charm to create political momentum

If William Hague or Ken Clarke had been Shadow Chancellor, the Tory leader would have been kissing hands on Friday

He's from the hard-working, public-serving, upper-middle class, not from some secretive hereditary caste that is cut off from the rest of society

As a good Burkean, I would never come between a man and his prejudices. Yet there are times when some prejudices deserve to be overridden. This is one of them

The Liberals seem to be able to get away with anything

His vision is not quite as dramatic as the Tamworth Manifesto – but it’s not far off

Thatcher's range of human sympathy was confined to the striving middle class

The illusions about a new world order were a half-holiday from realism

Out of weakness its bishops condoned both terrorists and sexual terrorists