Autobiographers From The United Kingdom

"Whether you agree with me, disagree with me, like me or loathe me, don't bind my hands when I am negotiating on behalf of the British people."

"Nationalism is authoritarian. It turns easily towards autocracy or – at worst – outright dictatorship. Nationalists hide their threat under an exaggerated love of country, an unthinking patriotism: “my country, right or wrong”. Its leaders view other countries – and sometimes other races – as inferior. [...] There is a great difference between nationalism and patriotism. Patriotism is more than pride in country. A mature patriotism concerns itself with the condition of the people, as well as the prestige of the country. Such a patriotism worries about deprivation, opportunity and incentive. It asks itself: how can we spread our wealth and opportunity more evenly around our country? And it is as concerned with the growth of food banks as it is with a shortage of aircraft carriers."

"He was a fairly competent chairman of Housing [on Lambeth Council]. Every time he gets up now I keep thinking, "What on earth is Councillor Major doing?" I can't believe he's here and sometimes I think he can't either."

"Something I was not aware had happened suddenly turned out not to have happened."

"It is time to return to those core values, time to get back to basics: to self-discipline and respect for the law, to consideration for others, to accepting responsibility for yourself and your family, and not shuffling it off on other people and the state."

"The right hon. and learned Member is the man who likes to say yes in Europe — Monsieur Oui, the poodle of Brussels."

"I am walking over hot coals suspended over a deep pit at the bottom of which are a large number of vipers baring their fangs."

"I want her [Margaret Thatcher] isolated; I want her destroyed."

"Robert Hughes (Labour MP for Aberdeen North): With regard to the Prime Minister's desire for a classless society and social mobility, will he explain why there are no women in his Cabinet, or is the only woman in his Cabinet the back-seat driver? John Major: In recent years, in all aspects of life in this country, women have been taking a higher profile: in the law, in commerce, in the civil service, in industry and in politics – and that will continue. As those women would wish it to be, they will reach the top on merit – oh yes, and if the hon. Gentleman is patient, he will find women aplenty in top positions in my Government. Indeed, if he had waited awhile, perhaps even to the end of today, he would not have asked that question."

"We Conservatives have always passed our values from generation to generation. I believe that personal prosperity should follow the same course. I want to see wealth cascading down the generations. We do not see each generation starting out anew, with the past cut off and the future ignored."

"I would like the public to have a crusade against crime and change their attitude from being forgiving of crime to being considerate to the victim. Society needs to condemn a little more and understand a little less."

"We will do precisely what the British nation has done all through its history when it had its back against the wall — turn round and fight for the things it believes in, and that is what I shall do."

"Oh, Lord, if I must die today, Please make it after Close of Play. For this, I know, if nothing more, I will not go – without the score. The God of cricket, high above, Clearly heard this plea of love. And so the Reaper did not come Until the game was lost and won."

"In the next ten years we will have to continue to make changes which will make the whole of this country a genuinely classless society."

"Everyone who has seen the recent news reports has been shocked and moved by the suffering children in Sarajevo. At the end of last week, we told the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees that we stood ready to evacuate children from Sarajevo to the United Kingdom for medical treatment, or to send medical teams to Yugoslavia to provide treatment on the spot.If it is possible to treat the children on the spot, near to their families, with people around them who speak their language and in relatively familiar surroundings, that is obviously the best way. We have told the International Red Cross that we are willing to fly out medical personnel at very short notice if needed. I hope to meet the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in London later this week to see what further action is needed."

"All my adult life I have seen British governments driven off their virtuous pursuit of low inflation by market problems or political pressures. I was under no illusions when I took Britain into the ERM. I said at the time that membership was no soft option. The soft option, the devaluer's option, the inflationary option, that would in my opinion be a betrayal of Britain's future."

"Fifty years on from now, Britain will still be the country of long shadows on county grounds, warm beer, invincible green suburbs, dog lovers and pools fillers and, as George Orwell said, 'Old maids bicycling to holy communion through the morning mist' and, if we get our way, Shakespeare will still be read even in school."

"John Major: What I don't understand, Michael, is why such a complete wimp like me keeps winning everything. Michael Brunson: You've said it, you said precisely that. Major: I suppose Gus will tell me off for saying that, won't you Gus? Brunson: No, no, no … it's a fair point. The trouble is that people are not perceiving you as winning. Major: Oh, I know … why not? Because ... Brunson: Because rotten sods like me, I suppose, don't get the message clear [laughs]. Major: No, no, no. I wasn't going to say that - well partly that, yes, partly because of S-H-one-Ts like you, yes, that's perfectly right. But also because those people who are opposing our European policy have said the way to oppose the Government on the European policy is to attack me personally. The Labour Party started before the last election. It has been picked up and it is just one of these fashionable things that slips into the Parliamentary system and it is an easy way to proceed. Brunson: But I mean you … has been overshadowed … my point is there, not just the fact that you have been overshadowed by Maastricht and people don't ... Major: The real problem is this ... Brunson: But you've also had all the other problems on top - the Mellors, the Mates … and it's like a blanket - you use the phrase 'masking tape' but I mean that's it, isn't it? Major: Even, even, even, as an ex-whip I can't stop people sleeping with other people if they ought not, and various things like that. But the real problem is ... Brunson: I've heard other people in the Cabinet say 'Why the hell didn't he get rid of Mates on Day One?' Mates was a fly, you could have swatted him away. Major: Yeah, well, they did not say that at the time, I have to tell you. And I can tell you what they would have said if I had. They'd have said 'This man was being set up. He was trying to do his job for his constituent. He had done nothing improper, as the Cabinet Secretary told me. It was an act of gross injustice to have got rid of him'. Nobody knew what I knew at the time. But the real problem is that one has a tiny majority. Don't overlook that. I could have all these clever and decisive things that people wanted me to do and I would have split the Conservative Party into smithereens. And you would have said, Aren't you a ham-fisted leader? You've broken up the Conservative Party. Brunson: No, well would you? If people come along and ... Major: Most people in the Cabinet, if you ask them sensibly, would tell you that, yes. Don't underestimate the bitterness of European policy until it is settled - It is settled now. Brunson: Three of them - perhaps we had better not mention open names in this room - perhaps the three of them would have - if you'd done certain things, they would have come along and said, 'Prime Minister, we resign'. So you say 'Fine, you resign'. Major: We all know which three that is. Now think that through. Think it through from my perspective. You are Prime Minister. You have got a majority of 18. You have got a party still harking back to a golden age that never was but is now invented. And you have three rightwing members of the Cabinet actually resigned. What happens in the parliamentary party? Brunson: They create a lot of fuss but you have probably got three damn good ministers in the Cabinet to replace them. Major: Oh, I can bring in other people into the Cabinet, that is right, but where do you think most of this poison has come from? It is coming from the dispossessed and the never-possessed. You and I can both think of ex-ministers who are going around causing all sorts of trouble. Would you like three more of the bastards out there? What's the Lyndon Johnson, er, maxim? Brunson: If you've got them by the balls their hearts and minds will follow. Major: No, that's not what I had in mind, though it's pretty good."

"If the implication of his remarks is that we should sit down and talk with Mr. Adams and the Provisional IRA, I can say only that that would turn my stomach and those of most hon. Members; we will not do it. If and when there is a total ending of violence, and if and when that ending of violence is established for a significant time, we shall talk to all the constitutional parties that have people elected in their names. I will not talk to people who murder indiscriminately."

"Summers simply won't be the same without him."

"I want to see us build a country that is at ease with itself, a country that is confident and a country that is able and willing to build a better quality of life for all its citizens."

"The Conservative Party must make its choice. Every leader is leader only with the support of his party. That is true of me too. That is why I am no longer prepared to tolerate the present situation. In short, it is time to put up or shut up."

"I have been a Member of Parliament for 18 years. I have been a member of the Government for 14 years, of the Cabinet for ten years and Prime Minister since 1990. When the curtain falls it is time to get off the stage and that is what I propose to do. I shall, therefore, advise my parliamentary colleagues that it would be appropriate for them to consider the selection of a new leader of the Conservative Party to lead the party through Opposition through the years that lie immediately ahead."

"It is the one event in my life of which I am most ashamed and I have long feared would be made public."

"“But speaking about Liverpool and speaking about honouring the champions, this is my time to honour a champion. It is my time to honour Steve Gerrard. It is with opponents like him that I am the manager that I am, because I learn with my players and I learn with my best opponents. I learn with my players’ problems, my players’ doubts, my players’ qualities and I learn with my best opponent, with the problems they give me – the way they make me think, the way they make me analyse them and studying the best way to play against them. Steven Gerrard is for sure one of my favourite enemies – an enemy with all the good feeling I can express with that word in football. For sure, in England he is my dear enemy. For sure, he is the one that made me a better manager. To stop him or try and stop him has been very, very difficult. I tried to bring him to Chelsea, I tried to bring him to Inter, I tried to bring him to Real Madrid but he was always a dear enemy,” he said “I want to honour him and I hope Stamford Bridge has the same feeling as I have, which is we need people like him as our opponents.”"

"My Hero. My Mate"

"“He’ll absolutely be remembered as one of the greats; for me, he is already one of them. There are so many things [that are good about Steven Gerrard]. He is so inspirational. In the key moments he has that difference – a spark that is difficult to define.”"

"We are preparing a special weightlifting plan for Gerrard's shoulders because we want him to lift a lot of trophies for us in the next few years."

"“Steven Gerrard would be the captain of my World XI dream team.”"

"“He’s been a reference to all his team-mates throughout the years and is now in history for such a brilliant career at his club for all his life.”"

"He is undoubtedly one of the best midfield players in the world. Any top club would want him in their side."

"He has become the most influential player in England, bar none. Not that Vieira lacks anything, but Gerrard does more."

"Liverpool's Steven Gerrard, Lionel Messi or Xavi from Barcelona deserved the award more. "Ronaldo is only focused on finishing in front of goal. "I love Gerrard's qualities as a player and a leader. Technically and tactically he is the best. His passion is enormous, he means as much for a great team as George Best. "He is a player who fans can identify themselves with and a man who carries the love for his club on his club badge. There is not another player in the world who combines all those qualities. I like him so much more than Ronaldo."

"His story is one of those stories to be told, one of those fairytales - just like it happened to me - to be narrated to your children and grandchildren."

"Steven Gerrard was awesome today. We were just laughing in the dressing room that at one stage we thought he was heading his own crosses in."

"The fans, they look only for forwards, always a forward," Pele told Sky Sports News. "Somebody who scores. "Sometimes you have a player like Gerrard. "For me, for the last five years Gerrard has been the best player in the world. "He is a midfielder, he plays very good. People didn't mention Gerrard, now they mention Ronaldinho, Ronaldo, Messi because they are forwards."

"‘Gerrard is an excellent player, absolutely world-class. If I was a manager, everywhere I went I would buy Steven Gerrard. ‘He is what Brazil needs, because he is always looking forward and has a big heart. ‘Two years ago I saw Gerrard play and then I saw him in Tokyo in a game against Sao Paulo. I said then that Gerrard is a great player. To me he is one of the best midfielders in the world. He is an excellent player.’"

"When Kaka was questioned by British football magazine Four-Four-Two recently as to who he thought was the best player in the world. "That’s a difficult question," he replied. "If I had to choose three, I would pick Cristiano Ronaldo, because of his skill and speed; Messi, because of his flair and skills; and Steven Gerrard, who for me is the complete modern player.""

"‘He is physically and technically precocious. He’s got a good engine and remarkable energy. He reads the game and he passes quickly. I would hate to think Liverpool have someone as good as Roy Keane.""

"He's a player that I really thought a lot of, I had a lot of time for him and rated him. I can't say that about everyone," Zidane told LFCTV. "Why did I like him so much? Perhaps there was something about him that reminded me a little bit of myself. He made a lot of noise out there on the field but was quiet off it, meaning that he was someone down to earth and grounded away from the game who just said what needed to be said. He preferred to do his talking on the field, using his voice, his combative spirit and above all his ability on the ball that could make the difference in a game. I would have really liked to have played alongside him. But he has always remained loyal to his own club, Liverpool, the club of his heart. That also is another characteristic that is particular to him, I don't think there are too many players who have spent their entire career playing for just one club. That is a great strength of his too. It was never possible, because of course he stayed with Liverpool, but I would have loved to play with a guy like him. It's simply that he's one of the few players, and I must come back to his combative spirit here, who is a superb technician, who is great on the ball, but who mixed in those fighting qualities with everything he did."

"Alex Ferguson is obviously one of the most successful coaches the game has ever had. But I did find his comments about Steven Gerrard very strange. To say he is not a top player is wrong. For two or three years, Steven Gerrard was the best midfield player in the world. Even now he is playing at a high level for ­Liverpool and England."

"‘He has had a great career winning many things - but it would be a big shame for him if he was never to win the league with Liverpool’. ‘For everything that he has given - he deserves a league title.’ ‘I don't think that is any secret that Real Madrid and Chelsea had big interest in him and that is just the teams the media knew about. ‘He could have played for any team in Europe - but he turned them down. That sort of loyalty should be rewarded with a title.’ ‘England have probably produced the two best midfield players of the last 20 years in Steven Gerrard and Paul Scholes,’ ‘There was a point when Gerrard was the best midfield player in the world. It is unusual to get complete midfield players who can do everything, but that is what he was. ‘His legs are not going to be what they were five or six years ago - but his presence and leadership are invaluable for Liverpool.’"

"Kaka wants AC Milan to sign Steven Gerrard, despite the England midfielder recently agreeing a new contract with Liverpool. The Brazilian said: ‘The time has arrived to re-energise a group which has many players at the end of their contracts. Gerrard is a complete player and can play anywhere. I could see him fitting in really well at Milan.""

"Asked who was the toughest English opponent he had faced over the years, Pirlo said, “That night in Istanbul, Liverpool’s fight back was centralized on Steven Gerrard. He was their leader, their star player, their man who made it happen. Carlo tried to sign Gerrard for Milan so we could play together, but he had no interest in leaving Liverpool,” Pirlo, 36, told ShortList magazine. “We could have played together, but now in MLS we will be playing against each other, and I will look forward to that""

"“Gerrard will fit in with any club in the world. He’s one of the players in the world that have all what it takes to play for Real Madrid. I want to urge Gerrard to join Real Madrid. If you don’t play for Real Madrid you always feel that something is missing. There is nothing better than wearing Real Madrid’s jersey. This is a big opportunity for Gerrard. I’m not talking money wise, but victories wise. I’m sure that Gerrard has alot of respect towards Mourinho. Steven signing for Real Madrid will be perfect for him.”"

""For me, it's not about Gattuso against Gerrard, despite what he said. For me, Gerrard is the best player in England. He is a technical player, who plays very hard and with his heart. He is a legend for his club and the best player they've got. I have more respect for him because I remember that final in Istanbul. We had won it but then he played a great game and changed everything. I watched him against Chelsea on Tuesday and he was amazing, unbelievable. I still say I have respect for him and like the way he plays. I am looking forward to playing him again and looking him in the eye before it starts. This will be a very important game for us both."

"On a BBC documentary, Manchester United and England captain Wayne Rooney was asked who was the best player he played with for England. “I’d have to say Stevie [was the best]. For me he’s an incredible player, an incredible leader. He helped me a lot during my early days with England.”"

"He is, in my opinion, the best midfielder in the world, and has a track record for delivering on the big occasions."

"“I have said in the past that at his peak he was the best in the world. I think it was the summer of 2004 I was having a conversation with Florentino (Perez) and I told him I wanted him to partner me in midfield for Madrid. I know the club tried twice but he wouldn’t leave Liverpool. Not many players turn down Real Madrid but I think that tells you a lot about the loyalty of the man.”"

"Is he the best in the world? He might not get the attention of (Lionel) Messi and Ronaldo but yes, I think he just might be.If you don't have a player like Steven Gerrard, who is the engine room, it can affect the whole team.When we were winning league titles and European Cups at Real, I always said Claude Makelele was our most important player. There is no way myself, (Luis) Figo or Raul would have been able to do what we did without Claude and the same goes for Liverpool and Gerrard. He has great passing ability, can tackle and scores goals, but most importantly he gives the players around him confidence and belief. You can't learn that -- players like him are just born with that presence."