"This is a great day for france" - Nixon at President Pompidou's funeral. "How nice to see you all here" - Roy Jenkins visiting a prison. "There will be no great war in Europe" - "Daily Express" January 1939. "I am anti-fascist and anti-semitic" - George Bush. Gaffes, errors of judgement, straightforward abuse - these have been part and parcel of politics through the centuries, in all countries. Matthew Parris brings the best together in an entertaining collection, and along the way makes one or two serious points about what we expect from our politicians.