Jonathan Powell

There is no conflict in the world that cannot be solved.

You can't negotiate in public. People won't make concessions in public. They will do that in private. Like sausage making, you have to do it behind closed doors.

If you are going to make peace, you can't just meet nice people.

Loneliness and rootlessness are just symptoms of an insecurity that assails us all when hitting this midlife moment. The world appears intent on blanking you out.

I spent my earliest years in Colwyn Bay in north Wales with my mother and grandmother, while my father was stationed with the RAF in India.

Even the most dishonest officer would want to be seen as a role model for his children.