Douglas Hurd
Douglas Hurd
Douglas Richard Hurd, Baron Hurd of Westwell CH CBE PCis a British Conservative politician who served in the governments of Margaret Thatcher and John Major from 1979 to 1995...
NationalityBritish
ProfessionPolitician
Date of Birth8 March 1930
growing-up years europe
Margaret Thatcher, growing up in a bombed and battered Britain, derived a distrust which has grown with the years not just of Germany but of all continental Europe.
country teaching normal
It is normal for politicians in all countries to profess themselves the pupils of history, anxious to draw the right lessons from her teaching.
past judgment enjoyable
We must admit that history is enjoyable to a large extent because it enables us to pass judgment on the past.
downing-street office house
Ten Downing Street is a house, not an office. That is its most important characteristic.
war military successful
No military timetable should compel war when a successful outcome, namely a disarmed Iraq may be feasible without war, for example by allowing more time to the UN inspectors.
europe america leaving
The tragedy of 9/11 galvanised the American superpower into action, leaving us in Europe divided in its wake.
europe germany economic
Margaret Thatcher was fearful of German unification because she believed that this would bring an immediate and formidable increase of economic strength to a Germany which was already the strongest economic partner in Europe.
men action justified
Men like Hitler and Stalin and their immediate lieutenants cannot plead in defence of their actions that these were justified by the accepted values of that time.
people way prison
Prison is an expensive way of making bad people worse.
people
People are very interested in politics, they just don't like it labelled 'politics'.
giving tools slave
Wisely used history can give pleasure and provide us with a useful tool; but we should not become its slaves.
war iraq germany
We, Britain and Germany, can neither of us be happy about our handling of the Iraq war.
running war iraq
War on Iraq runs the risk of turning the Middle East into an inexhaustible recruiting ground for anti- western terrorism.
television world knee-jerk-reactions
Diplomacy is unfashionable in the world of knee-jerk reaction and the dogmatic sound bite on television.