“Democracy matters because it reflects an idea of equality and an idea of liberty…” — Rory Stewart

As a Scot, I instinctively feel a sympathy towards a culture which is based on generosity. It's very refreshing. Afghans think they're the best people in the world and their country is the best place in the world, and it's strange because you go there and it doesn't really look like it, and yet they assume that everybody else envies them.

Politics feels, on what I have seen of it, like joining a tribe, and a lot of it is about unspoken ways of behaving.