Man is the only animal that laughs and weeps; for he is the only animal that is struck with the difference between what things are and what they ought to be. – William Hazlitt, The English Comic Writers, 1819
I mean enormous pressure was brought to bear – Valerie Amos, Lady Amos, went round Africa with people from our intelligence services trying to press them. I had to make sure that we didnt promise a misuse of aid in a way that would be illegal. – Clare Short