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
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.
prime ministers treaties
If Margaret Thatcher had been Prime Minister at the time, there would have been no Treaty of Maastricht.
people arguing ministers
Some people find it difficult to argue with a woman Prime Minister and shrivel up.
gossip silence sin
Silence is regarded as a sort of sin now, and it has to be filled with a lot of gossip and soundbites.
spiritual people kind
People know they are lacking something, they are constantly wanting some kind of spiritual guidance.
favour politician should
We should be wary of politicians who profess to follow history while only noticing those signposts of history that point in the direction which they themselves already favour.
past ideas judgement
There are thus great swathes of the past where understanding is more important and reputable than judgement, because the principal actors performed in line with the ideas and values of that time, not of ours.
ahead efforts hard remains starting work
While hard work remains ahead of us, our efforts are starting to show results.
depends dimension drifting people
It depends on how it is done but what we are drifting into, which is that people grow up without any sense of a spiritual dimension to life, is just impoverishing.
forces general government modern needs orders putting support war wrong
I may be wrong in that, but not I think in putting the questions. In our modern democracy the government needs not a unanimous but a general support for war before it orders our forces to fight.
believe children country despite education either hostility lack widespread
Despite this lamentable lack of balance in our education I do not believe that either children or adults in my country are permeated by a widespread hostility to Germany.