Travelling the railways of Europe with a century-old guidebook can be disconcerting: fares, food, and drink seem shockingly expensive compared with what they were; trains and paddle-steamers run to unexpected timetables (assuming they’re still running at all); and not only states but whole empires have been wiped from the map. Michael Portillo Read Quote
Three letters send a chill down the spine of the enemy: SAS. Those letters spell out one clear message. Don’t mess with Britain! Michael Portillo Read Quote
If a prince marries a foreign princess, one to the manner born, he is being snobbish and old-fashioned. If he chooses a Diana or a Fergie, glamorous outsiders, they may never adapt to the restrictions of being Royal, with calamitous results. Michael Portillo Read Quote
Wagner had a terrific understanding of politics. In 1829, he was a Marxist revolutionary who wanted to bring down the establishment. He hated religion and churches, which he said enslaved people. But he later developed different views that put art at the centre of the life of the state. Michael Portillo Read Quote
I hope I succeed in demonstrating that you may equally find compelling and significant narratives – stories that alter or add to our understanding of history – in unprepossessing places: a Victorian sewer system; a Cold War bunker; derelict hospitals. Michael Portillo Read Quote
My grandfather, who was always keen to promote living artists, staged an unprecedented exhibition of Peploe’s works at Kirkcaldy in 1928. Michael Portillo Read Quote
For ‘Portillo’s Hidden History of Britain,’ I arranged to meet men and women who were witnesses to history – ordinary people who were caught up in extraordinary events. Michael Portillo Read Quote
Conservatives are wary of change. We have respect for things that have lasted a long time and have been proved to work. When things need changing, we should make the changes with respect to all the reasons why those things worked originally as well as the reasons why amendment is necessary. Michael Portillo Read Quote
The two biggest legacies of the Raj are the unification of India and the English language. Moreover, without the railways, India would not have been connected and could not have become one country. Michael Portillo Read Quote
