Quote

I never had a political power base.

I may have been the only candidate in America who failed to ride the wave of anti-establishment anger to victory.

The election result is not a victory that belongs to me or my party.

I didn't become leader to transform the Liberal Democrats into an enlarged form of the Electoral Reform Society. It's not the be all and end all for us. There are other very, very key ambitions in politics, not least social mobility and life chances, that I care about as passionately if not more.

I think I've had my fill of electoral law.

There's no such thing as a partisan base.

The Minnesota Republican hierarchy didn't want me to run against their incumbent in 2000; they didn't know who I was. And once many party bigwigs did get to know me, they weren't sure that I could win the seat.

I entered politics in 1967; since then, continuously, I am getting elected... Fortunately I never lost the elections.

I didn't intend to run for public office. I didn't really think about it.