My aunty says I'm the double of my father. He was a workaholic, which I've definitely inherited. And like me, he could be the life and soul of the party, but also quite withdrawn.

Don't accept that you are in crisis just because everyone says you are.

So here is one of my theories on happiness: we cannot know if we have lived a truly happy life until the very end. This view of life and death was reinforced by my close witnessing of the buildup to the death of Philip Gould. Philip was without doubt my closest friend in politics. When he died, I felt like I had lost a limb.

Like most meaningful activities, campaigns are team games.

There has been a shift to what may be defined as a culture of negativity which goes well beyond coverage of politics.

My father realizes that he did okay with me. He did the best he could.