I have often wondered who it is in recent times who most regretted a remark made earlier in life. My current favourites are:

Gordon Brown who said in 1997 "I will not allow house prices to get out of control and put at risk the sustainability of the future" since then the cost of the average UK house has risen from £70,000 to £220,000. so much for the efficacy or our erstwhile Chancellor and now Prime Minister.

Then of course there is the modern classic, the lie created by Bliar and Campbell in " that dossier" where in order to justify their obeying of US orders to attack Iraq they wrote " (Iraq has)military plans for the use of chemical and biological weapons, including against its own Shia population. Some of these weapons are deployable within 45 minutes of an order to use them."

Actually now I am on the subject of classics, perhaps these should be taking the number one spot. How about

I think there is a world market for maybe five computers.– Thomas Watson, chairman of IBM, 1943

We don’t like their sound, and guitar music is on the way out.– Decca Recording Co. rejecting the Beatles, 1962.

Are there better recorded incidents out there ?