You litter poems with too much learning when you're younger.

Looking back, fire images have been constant in my poetry. As a boy, it was my job to light the fire each morning, and I remember the celebratory bonfires at the end of the war. It was from staring into fire that I began my first poetry.

I need to look back on my poetic ventures, make sense of them as a whole, and move forward... and to experiment without external demands.

It is always better to write for the whole of society than for the poetry-reading public.

Washington's answer to a self-inflicted financial crisis reminded Americans why they so deeply distrust the political class. The 'fiscal cliff' process was secretive and sloppy, and the nation's so-called leadership lacked the political courage to address our root problems: joblessness and debt.

The freedoms that people have that flow from all civic institutions fundamentally come from the success of a market system.

Whether we remain in the European Union will determine Britain's future role in the world and the comparative success of our economy for our children and grandchildren.

The best way poor people can come out of their poverty is to get on the global highway, not on some dirt side road.