The quicker we get rid of the lobby system the better for all of us. I don't think in this day and age it is tenable to have these nods and winks, and on-the-record and off-the-record briefings.

I think everyone believes the income tax system is not too understandable. I'm proposing the flat tax to get rid of deductions. However I would include a $15,000 dependency deduction so a family of four wouldn't pay taxes until they reach over $60,000 in taxable income.

The thing he's got to work on is getting rid of the ball a little quicker. There was a couple of times he held onto it. ... Right now, Seth is playing better, but everything is etched in sand.

Whatever the eventual judgment, the political implications of Hutton are already clear. A devastating indictment of Labour in power - and of our political system itself.

We believe that government in Britain is there to protect people from terrorism and from the worst criminality, but never at the expense of our civil liberties and the basic tenets of our legal system.

I feel very strongly we need to do a better job with the rainy day fund.