My favourite statesman... I admire him for his military achievements. Oh the IRON-Y

Before you get too dragged in to my brother's socialist brainwashing (the previous post), I'd like to talk about Aurthur Wellesley, my favourite British Prime Minister. You probably know him as the Duke of Wellington, often nicknamed Nosey or the Iron Duke. (Brilliant play on words in the title, I know.)

Anyhow, the Anglo-Irish general did play a significant role in British politics; by pushing forward catholic emancipation - giving catholics full citizen rights in Britain. On the downside he was very conservative in his ideas - not willing to extend the sufferage from the privileged classes. This lost him his premiership in 1830 to Earl Gray, the man the tea was named after.

It was on the battlefield where the Iron Duke did excel. As the first ever  general to be appointed as Field Marshal, his professional, calculated approach to war helped him to succeed time after time, often against forces with much greater numbers. By the end of his military career he'd gained much land for England after campaigning in India, defeated Napoleon Bonaparte's marshals in the Iberian Peninsular, and with the help of Blucher and his Prussians beat the French Emperor at Waterloo. Not once did he lose a battle. Beat that Mr Attlee.