Governments that use violence to stop democratic development will not earn themselves respite forever. They will pay an increasingly high price for actions which they can no longer hide from the world with ease, and will find themselves on the wrong side of history.

Hague rose through the ranks of John Major's government and entered the Cabinet in 1995 as the Secretary of State for Wales. In Parliament he has represented the constituency of Richmond (Yorks) since 1989. After David Cameron was elected leader of the Conservative Party in 2005 Hague returned to front line politics as shadow foreign secretary.