They said it was impossible to touch the third rail of politics to take on public-sector unions and to reform a pension and health benefits system that was headed to bankruptcy. But with bipartisan leadership we saved taxpayers $132 billion dollars over 30 years and saved retirees their pensions. We did it.

I believe there is a relationship between having an interest in the arts and the behaviour of society as a whole. Some politicians find it difficult that the arts is a weapon of happiness... Politics is often about deprivation rather than the opening up of ideas and nourishing creative endeavour.

By asking the question 'Am I happy? ' and via the answer setting out what I mean by happiness there is a political route that can be taken by asking another question - 'Can politics deliver happiness and should it try?'

Is anyone serious about the politics of happiness? David Cameron dipped a toe in the water using the word lightly but denying the hard policies it implies. Labour shies away from it but should take up the challenge.

I think one of the great problems we have in the Republican Party is that we don't encourage you to be nasty. We encourage you to be neat obedient loyal and faithful and all those Boy Scout words which would be great around a campfire but are lousy in politics.

King Louis Philippe once said to me that he attributed the great success of the British nation in political life to their talking politics after dinner.

Magnanimity in politics is not seldom the truest wisdom and a great empire and little minds go ill together.

Let's just do what is right for the American people. And those of us who are involved in politics and government know that our responsibility is to the American people that we have a responsibility to find our common ground to seek it and to find it.

I'm in politics. I'm in government so nothing surprises me.

As long as I don't write about the government religion politics and other institutions I am free to print anything.