Our equality bill is specifically designed to protect religion and belief on exactly the same terms as race or gender or sexuality.

To my astonishment, everything that I had assumed was now questioned by the findings. What started off as a search for identity that appeared to be purely Scottish in origin ended up as a discovery of my migrant roots - indeed an understanding that almost all of our families, at some stage, have been migrants - and my European roots.

For centuries, individuals have been learning how to live with their next-door neighbours.

I don't believe that any prime minister would send our troops into conflict without the assurance from the military that they had the equipment necessary for the operation.

Writing for TV made way more sense than writing for magazines. And by sense, I mean money.

In a world with weak aggregate demand, countries are engaging in a futile competition for a greater share of it. In the process, they are creating financial-sector and cross-border risks that will become increasingly apparent as countries exit their unconventional policies.

I was pretty much a warmonger and a pretty greedy guy. I always wanted to make as much money as I possibly could and felt the downtrodden didn't deserve a break.

I have said repeatedly I do want to take longer to eliminate the deficit than the other parties. Because I want to see us have the ability to invest more in our economy, in our public services, and in lifting people out of poverty.