British Politician Quotes

There is a sacred realm of privacy for every man and woman where he makes his choices and decisions-a realm of his own essential rights and liberties into which the law, generally speaking, must not intrude.

Geoffrey Fisher

There is a glut of chemical books, but a scarcity of chemical truths.

John French, 1st Earl of Ypres

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.

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

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

Henry Campbell-Bannerman

Quitters have the good sense to admit their mistakes, cut their losses, and move on.

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

There seems to be something wrong with our bloody ships today.

David Beatty, 1st Earl Beatty

Every bodily process is pulsing to its own beat within the overall beat of the solar system.

Michael Young, Baron Young of Dartington

The Conservative Establishment has always treated women as nannies, grannies and fannies.

You can't think rationally on an empty stomach, and a whole lot of people can't do it on a full stomach either.

John Reith, 1st Baron Reith

We want the mathematical genius - there is work for him. We want the literary genius - there is work for him, especially in my office. We want the scientific brain - there is more than enough work for him. We want the man of brains and we want the man of common sense and little brain. We want the man of initiative and the man of action, the methodical man and even the crank. We open our ranks widely to all.

Hugh Trenchard, 1st Viscount Trenchard

Reports show that the combined Gross Domestic Product of forty-eight countries is less than the wealth of the three richest people in the world. Fifteen billionaires have assets greater than the total national income of Africa, south of the Sahara. Thirty-two people own more than the annual income of everyone who lives in South Asia. Eighty-four rich people have holdings greater than the GDP of China, a nation with 1.2 billion citizens.

In business a reputation for keeping absolutely to the letter and spirit of an agreement, even when it is unfavorable, is the most precious of assets, although it is not entered in the balance sheet.

Oliver Lyttelton, 1st Viscount Chandos

People in this country have had enough of experts.

That's a good joke but we do it much better in England.

To a Prince of Würtemberg who at dinner flicked some wine in Oglethorpe's face, asserting the insult to be a joke Oglethorpe threw a whole wine glass in the Prince's face in return

James Oglethorpe

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

Arthur Scargill

As a child, of a politician (James Fox):

What is that fat gentleman in such a passion about?

Charles Shaw-Lefevre, 1st Viscount Eversley

I dislike censorship. Like an appendix it is useless when inert and dangerous when active.

Maurice Edelman

For a profest architect is proud, opiniative and troublesome, seldom at hand, and a head workman pretending to the designing part, is full of paltry vulgar contrivances; therefore be your owne architect, or sitt still.

My blog is 70% fiction and 30% fact. It is written as a tool to enable my constituents to know me better and to reassure them of my commitment to Mid Bedfordshire. I rely heavily on poetic licence and frequently replace one place name/event/fact with another.

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

Lyon Playfair, 1st Baron Playfair

When all is said, the floating vote lives up to its name. It floats with the tide; and whoever would influence it must first influence the tide.

Richard Law, 1st Baron Coleraine

Men trade unionists are accused of sex privilege and prejudice … A belief in the divine right of every man to his job is not peculiar to kings and capitalists, and men in organised trades are not disposed to share these advantages with a host of women competitors.

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