British Politician Quotes

The poverty and unemployment which we came into existence to fight have been largely conquered

He gave himself diligently to mathematics, which he liked "vastly." "I believe they are useful," he writes, "and I am sure they are entertaining, which is alone enough to recommend them to me."

Sir George Trevelyan, 2nd Baronet

The tendency everywhere in America to concentrate power and responsibility in one man is unmistakable.

Good government could never be a substitute for government by the people themselves.

Henry Campbell-Bannerman

In the last Parliament, the House of Commons had more MPs called John than all the women MPs put together.

Inconvenience arising from the operation of an Act of Parliament can be no ground of argument in a Court of law.

Richard Arden, 1st Baron Alvanley

Most idealistic people are skint. I have discovered that people with money have no imagination, and people with imagination have no money.

Rainbow George Weiss

The socialist believes that it is better to be rich than poor, the Christian that it is better to be poor than rich.

Lord Hugh Cecil

People in this country have had enough of experts.

Generosity is part of my character, and I therefore hasten to assure this Government that I will never make an allegation of dishonesty against it wherever a simple explanation of stupidity will suffice.

Leslie Lever, Baron Lever

Each successive Labour Government has been the most rapacious, doctrinaire and unpatriotic conspiracy to be seen this side of the Iron Curtain.

I do not believe there is a long-term future for the privately rented sector in its present form.

Anthony Crosland

This country is not the free-trading nation it once was. We have become too lazy, and too fat on our successes in previous generations, companies who could be contributing to our national prosperity - but choose not to because it might be too difficult or too time-consuming or because they can't play golf on a Friday afternoon - we've got to be saying to them if you want to share in the prosperity of our country you have a duty to contribute to the prosperity of our country.

Sin is bad in the eye, worse in the tongue, worse still in the heart, but worst of all in the life.

The applications of science are not difficult, but without the science there are no applications.

Lyon Playfair, 1st Baron Playfair

The worst enemy of science is also the bitterest enemy of democracy, cest le clericalisme. The interests of science and the interests of democracy are one.

Parliament itself would not exist in its present form had people not defied the law.

Arthur Scargill

Most people are vain, so I try to ensure that any author who comes to stay will find at least one of their books in their room.

Spencer Cavendish, 8th Duke of Devonshire

Denis Healey: Can he assure us there is no question of American military intervention as this could only make the situation worse?
Sir Geoffrey Howe: There is no question of that.

Politicians are like monkeys. The higher they climb, the more revolting are the parts they expose.

Gwilym Lloyd George, 1st Viscount Tenby

Truth is suppressed, not to protect the country from enemy agents but to protect the Government of the day against the people.

They found more dangerous chemicals in Coca-Cola's Dasani mineral water than they did in the whole of Iraq.

I could never make out what those damned dots meant.

Lord Randolph Churchill

Derision is never so agonizing as when it pounces on the wanderings of misguided sensibility.

Francis Jeffrey, Lord Jeffrey

The archbishop [Archbishop Runcie] is usually to be found nailing his colors to the fence.