"There is worse: we believe there to be between 7,000 and 10,000 people in detention whom we would consider as politic…"

"The next morning brings good news. The two shops I specified are both available. They both belong to the local brewer…"

"I'm an Anglo really, born in England, like Sandy Lyle and Rod Stewart [...] but my father came from this huge Edinbur…"

"[On his posting to Tashkent in Uzbekistan] Unless you've lived in a totalitarian state, it comes as a hell of a shock…"

"One of our slogans has been "British Bulldog, not Bush's Poodle", which has the advantage of confusing people entirel…"

"So how will we do? Well, surprisingly well. There is real anger at the war. People don't like liars. And Straw is pla…"

"[As the British Ambassador in Uzbekistan.] At the same time that I was receiving word from Uzbek citizens about the g…"

"The Paston was an old-fashioned grammar [school] that was trying its best to be an independent school [...] It felt a…"

"[On his early diplomatic career.] You have to realise I never set out to be a hero [...] I was never a great campaign…"

"Uzbekistan is not a functioning democracy, nor does it appear to be moving in the direction of democracy. The major p…"