And when asked if he ever wonders what he would have been doing if he'd bitten his lip and stayed in the Labour Party - he says he has little doubt he'd still be in the House of Lords, only not as his party's leader there, but in the guise of a humble backbencher.
But one wonders how much more productive he or she might become if it were possible to just say no to doing business with someone who takes up too much time, space and emotion during the course of his or her business life.