I can't see the point in being in politics if you're not yourself. If you're simply interested in implementing other people's policies, then you should become a civil servant. If you have ideas and some form of ideology, then it's exciting because you can argue forward.

It is of considerable importance that politicians stick to their commitments or do not make such commitments in the first place.

When I'm overseas, I suspect I look like Mr. Bean.

One doesn't need money to run for Parliament, but it is undoubtedly expensive.

I went into investments out of interest and thought I knew a little. The longer I've been involved, the less I realise I'd known.

I was left £50 when I was ten by a fairly distant cousin, which my father invested in GEC shares on my behalf. I became interested in the market and was given some more shares by my father, which is when I began looking to see how the shares were performing and learning how to read company reports, balance sheets, and so on in order to gauge that.

The Catholic Church's teachings are authoritative. There is a moral absolute on abortion - that it is wrong.

I take the teachings of the Catholic Church seriously.

It is not for me to enforce my morals on others.

I'm not a great beer drinker, but I do like Butcombe, probably because it's made of good Somerset water.

Extradition treaties date back at least to 1259 B.C., when the Hittite King Hattusili the Third and Ramesses the Second signed a treaty of 'peace and brotherhood for all time.' They have become more commonplace as international travel has become easier and sensibly streamlined.

Proper British nannies put the child ahead of everything. They do not like to see children used as accessories, carried around in slings for the convenience of the parents' social life. They want a proper set-up, where the baby is rested and happy, not shown off to all-comers.

A nanny, by being the child's doughty defender, may put sensitive noses out of joint.

The biographies of the great rarely report much about the nanny, but for many, she will have played a crucial role in their formative years.

Freedom rests on a rational distrust of government; government will always use its power to benefit the incumbent administration.

Press freedom has great virtues. It is not about irresponsible scandal-mongering, although that may be part of the picture. It is a means of revealing wrongdoing.

Many foreign property owners work in the City of London and are encouraged to bring their expertise and earning power to this country because of the favourable capital tax environment. Attacking their property profit may encourage some to leave, but it would certainly deter others from coming in the first place.

London's central role in the financial market would be undermined if wealthy foreigners did not want to come here.

Overseas investors have a choice. They can buy property, equities, bonds, or a host of other assets either in the United Kingdom or abroad. Each decision will be taken depending on the available net return, that is, the profit after tax.

As a general rule, governments are wise to avoid taxation that is voluntary, as they need a steady stream of income.

It has never been the case that a peerage can be extinguished, even for the lifetime of a peer, by a motion of the Lords. This does not mean that there are not effective ways of penalising errant peers.

The House of Commons has the undoubted rights to expel members for misconduct. This is an absolute authority which cannot be challenged in any court, as it derives from the twin concept of the High Court of Parliament being the most senior court in the land and of each House's right to regulate its own affairs.

It is hard to see taxing plastic bags as one of the great issues of our time that merits the foremost place in our finest statesmen's minds. It is an absurd little issue, a picayune proportion of household waste, and a pointless inconvenience in people's lives.

It's widely accepted that it is reasonable for a government to use tax policy to change behaviour.