Alan Clark

Alan Kenneth Mackenzie Clark (April 13, 1928 - September 5, 1999) was a British Conservative politician, historian and diarist.

Quotes

On the sinking of the ARA General Belgrano

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• "So what does it matter where it was when it was hit? We could have sunk it if it'd been tied up on the quayside in a neutral port and everyone would still have been delighted."

To refugees expelled by Idi Amin from Uganda who held residence rights in the UK:

Related Topics:
Idi Amin - Uganda

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• "You cannot come here because you are not white."

On Christmas:

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• "I only can properly enjoy carol services if I am having an illicit affair with someone in the congregation. Why is this? Perhaps because they are essentially pagan, not Christian, celebrations."

On Douglas Hurd:

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• "I fell into conversation with Douglas. His is a split personality. À deux he is delightful; clever, funny, observant, dryly cynical. But get him anywhere near 'display mode', particularly if there are officials around and he might as well have a corn cob up his arse. Pompous, trite, high-sounding, cautiously guarded."

On reform of the General Staff, as Minister of Defence Procurement:

Related Topics:
General Staff - Minister of Defence Procurement

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• "I want to fire the whole lot. Instantly. Out, out. No 'District' commands, no golden bowlers, nothing. Out ... If I could, I'd do what Stalin did to Tukhachevsky."

On the IRA:

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• "The only solution for dealing with the IRA is kill 600 people in one night."

On the Troubles in Northern Ireland

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• "I concluded that the only solution is to arm the Orangemen - to the teeth - and get out."

On topic of arm sales of Indonesians that were used against East Timor, when John Pilger asked him 'I read that you were a vegetarian and you are seriously concerned about the way animals are killed. Doesn?t that concern extend to the way humans, albeit foreigners, are killed?"'

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• "Curiously not, no."