We need to put the law more on the side of the householder than the housebreaker. We have seen in the US that wherever they have had a steep fall in crime they have had to have, in the short term, substantial increases in the prison population. The only time we have achieved a sustained decline in crime rates since the Second World War was for six years when Michael Howard was home secretary. He wasn't afraid to in-crease the prison population. You agreed to be Michael Howard's deputy in the leadership contest for a few hours before changing your mind.
Life is full of clever strategists who sat back.
Actually, the prizes and the achievements go to people who, when the door is open, go through. I hadn't expected to be leader of the party then. After the election I was mainly planning to get married and have a quieter life, but that's not quite how it worked out, so it did involve a dramatic reassessment of what I should be doing at the age of 36. But I'm sure it will be the right thing. I did enjoy working at the management consultants McKinsey, where I found myself in many different industries.