hiː ɹᵻlˈeɪts ðæt æt kˈɑːlɪdʒ hiː wʌzɐ "ɹˈaɪtwˈɪŋ pˈeɪn ɪnðə bˈʌt hˌuː wʌz mˈoːɹ ˈɪntɹɛstᵻd ɪn stˈuːdənt pˈɑːlətˌɪks ðɐn ˈɛseɪz", hˌuː wɛnt ˈɔn "tə wˈɜːk ɪnðə vˈɛɹiəs ɹˈaɪtwˈɪŋ pɹˈɛʃɚ ɡɹˈuːps ænd θˈɪŋk tˈæŋks ðæt pɹəlˈɪfɚɹˌeɪɾᵻd ɪnðə lˈeɪt ˈeɪɾiz".
He relates that at college he was a "right-wing pain in the butt who was more interested in student politics than essays", who went on "to work in the various right-wing pressure groups and think tanks that proliferated in the late eighties".