Sword out amid Cutting Words; the Oxford Dictionary of Political Quotations (Oxford University Press, Pounds 18.99). Edited by Antony Jay. Reviewed by Ross Reyburn

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Byline: Ross Reyburn

Whether Prime Minister Tony Blair or Conservative leader William Hague would approve is debatable but Antony Jay has updated the original Oxford Dictionary of Quotations first published in 1996.

Blair's oft-quoted tribute to Diana, the Princess of Wales - 'She was the People's Princess' - no doubt remains a source of pride. And his 1999 remark 'In future, welfare will be a hand up not a hand-out' is a neat example of the New Labour soundbite factory in full swing.

However, the other quotes by his name in the second edition somewhat dispel his image as a politician of integrity. His arrival statement in Belfast in 1998 - 'This is not a …