Over the more than 40 years in which I have been involved in political activity, some of which has been described in the preceding chapters, I have inevitably met and worked with a very large number of people. Some were obviously better endowed with skills, energy, intelligence and imagination than others, and some applied themselves with far greater determination than others to achieving results. But there were very few who did not want to do a good job and to leave a positive mark on their community, their city, their country or the world.

The overwhelming majority of people who get involved in politics do so in, my experience, because they want to make a positive difference. They have their own view as to how best to do so, and in some cases their views are diametrically opposed to those of others. That is the nature of politics. But I could count on the fingers of one hand the number of people I have known who appear to have got themselves involved in the political process in the UK with no aspiration to change things for the better. They may well have had other motives, and, not surprisingly, personal ambition featured strongly among these; but in almost every case these motives were combined with and, in many cases subordinate to, a commitment to public service and a passionate belief that their input could make other people’s lives better. Yet surprisingly few end their careers or their period of political engagement feeling satisfied that they have delivered what they had hoped to achieve. This in part reflects the cyclical nature of political ups and downs. The swing of the electoral pendulum ends many political careers sooner than expected or intended. Being in the wrong place at the wrong time, or being a member of a political party at a time when its fortunes are on the wane, can be a devastating blow to hopes and ambition.

But even among those who have had the good fortune to hold office for a period of years there are too many who feel frustrated that they were not able to make the most of those opportunities.