Andrew Neil

“On the far left, just as there is on the far right there is a dislike of Israel, not just a dislike, a hatred of Israel.”

“Sometimes, I think 'The Spectator' is calculated to embarrass me.”

“The Spectator' has to be managed and people have to report. We all have bosses in this world and that's true of 'The Spectator' too.”

“There's even less to do in Umea at Christmas than there is in Stockholm.”

“When you have variety, you have freedom.”

“Don't forget that Rupert Murdoch has always regarded the Op Ed pages of 'The Wall Street Journal' - as he's said to me - as a cup of strong caffeine that gets you going in the morning and tells you what to think.”

“Britain's great postwar meritocratic experiment was broad-based, but it was in politics that the change was most dramatic.”

“No-one in their right mind would buy the 'New Statesman' and change it from being a left-wing to a right-wing magazine.”

“I do not regret working with Rupert Murdoch. But there is a nasty undertone to a lot of what he does which does not exist with the Barclays.”

“I would not rule out Rupert Murdoch once again having control of 'Sky News.'”

“My favourite sport's cricket and one of the key things in cricket is to know when to declare.”

“I made it clear when the Barclays took over the 'Telegraph' that I wanted no editorial position there. There is no way I could take a high-level editorial position at the papers. I have my work for the BBC, and that would be compromised if I did.”

“The Margaret Thatchers of this country made it through - like I did - because of the grammar school system, which gave the opportunity of a lifetime to working-class kids. It put them on a level playing field with the privately educated kids, and opened up the top universities to them.”

“The sucking sound of capital being pulled out of Europe and into East Asia is almost deafening.”

“My mentor is Alastair Burnet, the greatest news anchor Britain has had.”

“People know more about my views than they do about most BBC presenters because I had a life before becoming a BBC presenter.”

“I don't fall in love easily... But I do fall in love.”

“There are two ways you can buy an education in this country. You can pay the fees. Or you can cheat and buy a house in an area where there's a good school.”

“Now, I bow to nobody when it comes to estimating the influence of 'This Week.'”

“I don't think the standard of our politicians is very high. And when you get good ones, world-class ones, like a Blair or a Brown or a Thatcher, then they do stand out - they are head and shoulders above everybody else.”