Tony Abbott, who became Prime Minister of Australia, speaking on 5 April 2010
“Now, I know that there are some Aboriginal people who aren’t happy with Australia Day. For them it remains Invasion Day. I think a better view is the view of Noel Pearson, who has said that Aboriginal people have much to celebrate in this country’s British Heritage.”
“It’s a fairly unique position; to have been in charge of prison funding and then to have been an inmate. I wish I’d been more generous.”
Speaking to The Times Newspaper, 3 June 2000
Jeffrey Archer quote. British politician sent to prison for libel who embarked on a successful writing career.
“I wrote a million words in the first year, and I could never have done that outside of prison.”
Speaking on 4th April, 1914
“The army will hear nothing of politics from me and in return I expect to hear nothing of politics from the army”
“One to mislead the public, another to mislead the Cabinet and the third to mislead itself.”
Lady Nancy Astor: “Winston, if you were my husband, I’d poison your tea.”
Winston Churchill: “Nancy, if I were your husband, I’d drink it.”
“Real education should educate us out of self into something far finer; into a selflessness which links us with all humanity.”
“If you begin to consider yourself solely responsible to a political party, you’re half-way to a dictatorship.”
“When I was a little boy in Worcestershire reading history books I never thought I should have to interfere between a king and his mistress”
“It is the loneliest job in the world. A Prime Minister cannot share his ultimate responsibilities.”
“Having served in eleven Parliaments, it would be difficult to describe this as a maiden speech. It would be like Elizabeth Taylor appearing at her next wedding in a white gown.”
The Tories think they are witnessing the retirement of a popular headmistress under circumstances that some might regret”
Tony Benn, 1990
Labour Party politician
“Politics is a blood sport.”
Labour Party politician
“I read the newspaper avidly. It is my one form of continuous fiction”
“Civilisation cannot survive if it rests on a propertyless proletariat.”
1941
“There has been great excitement at the prospect that this atomic bomb or atomic energy is likely to produce great industrial energy very quickly, I do not believe it at all”
1945
“Ask me my three main priorities for government, and I tell you: education, education, education.”
Labour Party Conference – 1st October 1996
‘I lead my party. He follows his’
The House of Commons, 25 May 1995
Prime Minister James Callaghan on his intention not to call a general election in September 1978
“I am not proposing to seek your votes because there is a blue sky ahead today.”
Prime Minister James Callaghan, 1976
“Let me say that of course there has been a fall in people’s standard of life. And it has fallen this year and will fall again next year.”
Prime Minister David Cameron commenting on the birth of Prince George, 2013
“It is an important moment in the life of our nation, and I suppose above all it is a wonderful moment for a warm and loving couple who have got a brand new baby boy”
David Cameron about Tony Blair at Prime Ministers Question Time, December 2005
“I want to talk about the future. He was the future once”
“I am Conservative to the core of my being, as those who know me best will testify.
Spoken in January 2006
“We don’t do God. I’m sorry. We don’t do God.”
Chief Press Officer, when asked about Tony Blair’s religious views.
“I have been discarded like a piece of old junk.”
“If we have to have Tories, good luck to her. She is the best man among them.”
“I would say to the House, as I said to those who have joined this Government, I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears and sweat. We have before us an ordeal of the most grievous kind. We have before us many long months of toil and struggle.
You ask what is our policy? I will say, it is to wage war with all our might, with all the strength that God can give us, to wage war against a monstrous tyranny never surpassed in the dark lamentable catalogue of human crime.
You ask what is our aim? I can answer in one word. Victory. Victory at all costs. Victory in spite of all terror. Victory however long and hard the road may be. For without victory there is no survival.”
(First speech as Prime Minister, House of Commons, 13 May, 1940)
“We shall not flag or fail. We shall go on to the end. We shall fight in France, we shall fight on the seas and oceans, we shall fight with growing confidence and strength in the air. We shall defend our island, whatever the cost may be. We shall fight on the landing-grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills. We shall never surrender.”
(Speech to the House of Commons, 4 June, 1940)
Outgoing Labour Chancellor of the Exchequer following coalition in 2010
“Tory plans to cut ‘further and faster’ would wreck recovery and roll back Labour’s many successes.”
Princess Diana of Wales
“It’s vital that the monarchy keeps in touch with the people. It’s what I try and do”
“I’d like to be a queen in people’s hearts but I don’t see myself being queen of this country.”
British Prime Minister
“Coalitions though successful have always found this, that their triumph has been brief.”
British Prime Minister
“Everyone likes flattery; and when you come to Royalty you should lay it on with a trowel.”
British Prime Minister
“A university should be a place of light, of liberty, and of learning.”
“Individuals may form communities, but it is institutions alone that can create a nation.”
“There are two problems in my life. The political ones are insoluble and the economic ones are incomprehensible.”
“The doctor unfortunately said I was fit.” Alec Douglas Home, just before becoming Prime Minister, 1964
“I used to say of Napoleon that his presence on the field made the difference of forty thousand men”
“I am one of a rare breed of true politicians who definitely say what they may or may not mean with absolute certainty”
“We are not at war with Egypt. We are in a state of armed conflict”
Speaking in 1956
Queen Elizabeth I, addressing her troops ahead of the battle with the Spanish Armada. Spoken at Tilbury, England, 1588
I know I have the body of a weak and feeble woman, but I have the heart and stomach of a king, and of a king of England too.”
Queen Elizabeth II, September 1997 on Diana’s death
“No one who knew Diana will ever forget her. Millions of others who never met her, but felt they knew her, will remember her. I, for one, believe there are lessons to be drawn from her life and from the extraordinary and moving reaction to her death. I share in your determination to cherish her memory.”
Spoken by Queen Elizabeth II, 1947
“I declare before you all that my whole life, whether it be long or short, shall be devoted to your service and the service of our great imperial family to which we all belong.”
“The EU is a failing, the EU is dying. I hope we have knocked the first brick out of the wall. I hope this is the first step towards a Europe of sovereign nation states trading together, neighbours together, friends together. But without the flags, anthems or useless old unelected presidents.”
June 23rd 2016
“I have become increasingly used to the Tory party mimicking our policies and phrases in a desperate effort to pretend to their members they are still Eurosceptic.”
When Leader of the UK Independence Party (UKIP) and Member of the European Parliament
“I think frankly when it comes to chaos you ain’t seen nothing yet.”
“We are not asking Parliament to give a legislative expression to any theory or doctrine of equality between the sexes, but we ask Parliament to weigh the practical expediency of giving Parliamentary representation to a certain class of women who, as heads of households and ratepayers, have already had experience of voting in other elections, where much good and no harm whatever has resulted from including them in the lists of persons entitled to vote.”
15 April 1892 – responding to a letter by Mr Samuel Smith MP.
Liam Fox MP, when British Defence Secretary
We can’t afford to see Afghanistan roll backwards into a failed state that could become a base from which terrorist campaigns can be launched anywhere in the world.”
Often used by politicians
“Certainty? In this world nothing is certain but death and taxes.”
“A policy is a temporary creed liable to be changed, but while it holds good it has got to be pursued with apostolic zeal.”
British Prime Minister born 1809
“Good laws make it easier to do right and harder to do wrong.”
“The lamps are going out all over Europe; we shall not see them lit again in our lifetime.”
“The highest of distinctions is service to others”
Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper commenting on the visit of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge in July 2011
“I say we haven’t seen a love-in like that since the first visit of The Beatles.”
Prime Minister Edward Heath, November, 1976.
“You mustn’t expect prime ministers to enjoy themselves. If they do, they mustn’t show it – the population would be horrified”
Edward Heath when interviewed in 1984 about taking Britain into Europe
“It was the most enthralling episode in my life” –
Edward Heath, From a speech made in June 1970.
“We may be a small island, but we are not a small people”
Edward Heath after hearing the news in November 1990
“Rejoice! Rejoice!”
Edward Heath when asked about William Hague’s election to the leadership of the Conservative Party, 1997
“A tragedy for the party. He’s got no ideas, no experience and no hope”
Edward Heath, October 1970 to the Conservative Party conference
“We will have to embark on a change so radical, a revolution so quiet and yet so total, that it will go far beyond the programme for a parliament”
“We are, by the sufferance of God, King of England; and the Kings of England in times past never had any superior but God’
King Henry VIII (Tudor) spoken after meeting Anne of Cleves, his fourth wife
‘You have sent me a Flanders mare!’
British Comedian and Activist
“I don’t know what it’s like in the U.S. but immigrants in the U.K. do the jobs the citizens won’t do.”
“I am sure Mr Heath thinks he is honest but I wish he didn’t have to have his friends say it so often”
“My chances of being PM are about as good as the chances of finding Elvis on Mars, or my being reincarnated as an olive.”
Spoken when the Mayor of London
“My policy on cake is pro having it and pro eating it.”
American Statesman
“Ninety percent of the politicians give the other ten percent a bad reputation.”
“My colleagues tell military secrets to their wives, except Asquith, who tells them to other people’s wives.”
British Singer and Campaigner
“We all fight over what the label ‘feminism’ means but for me it’s about empowerment. It’s not about being more powerful than men – it’s about having equal rights with protection, support, justice. It’s about very basic things. It’s not a badge like a fashion item.”
“To anyone with politics in his blood this place is like a pub to a drunkard.”
“The Right Honourable Gentleman has sat for so long on the fence that the iron has entered his soul.”
1931
“A country fit for heroes to live in.”
November 1918, speaking about what he wanted for British troops returning at the end of the war
“The first duty of a leader is optimism. How does your subordinate feel after meeting with you? Does he feel uplifted? If not, you are not a leader.”
“If we lose the war in the air we lose the war and lose it quickly.”
Prime Minister Harold Macmillan
“We believe that unless we give opportunity to the strong and able, we shall never have the means to provide real protection for the weak and the old”
Prime Minister Harold Macmillan to his Party Conference, 1963
“I will not be able to carry the physical burden of leading the Party at the next general election. I hope it will soon be possible for the customary processes of consultation to be carried on within the Party about its future leadership.”
Prime Minister Harold Macmillan, 1961
“As usual, the Liberals offer a mixture of sound and original ideas. Unfortunately, none of the sound ideas is original, and none of the original ideas is sound”
“I have learned that in all negotiations nothing matters except the will to reach agreement.”
“I am not running as Son of Margaret Thatcher. I have my own priorities and my own programmes.”
speaking in 1990 having taken over being Prime Minister from Margaret Thatcher
“They seem to have moved from total opposition to total subservience”
Commenting on the Labour Party’s approach to Europe in 1992
“Targets don’t fight crime.”
when Home Secretary
“The referendum result was clear. It was legitimate. It was the biggest vote for change this country has ever known. Brexit means Brexit – and we’re going to make a success of it.”
“The very first requirement in a hospital is that it should do the sick no harm”
Chancellor George Osborne describing Britain’s AAA credit rating in July 2012
“A reminder that despite the economic problems we face, the world has confidence that we are dealing with them.”
“The Conservative party, the modern Conservative party, is on the side of people who want to work hard and get on.”
Speaking as Chancellor
“Poverty, of course, is no disgrace, but it is damned annoying.”
“Unlimited power corrupts the possessor.”
“She has the ability to see things from the grassroots level and know what is in people’s minds”
Speaking in 1995.
Talking about his Grandmother the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee year
“In a small room with close members of the family, then she is just a normal grandmother. Very relaxed.”
“I would never want to put someone else’s life in danger when they have to sit next to the bullet magnet. But if I’m wanted, if I’m needed, then I will serve my country as I signed up to do.”
Prince William, Duke of Cambridge on his engagement announced in 2011
“We’ll sort of get over the marriage first and then maybe look at the kids. But obviously we want a family so we’ll have to start thinking about that.”
Prince William, Duke of Cambridge
“Being a small boy it’s very daunting seeing the Queen around and not really quite knowing what to talk about.”
Queen Elizabeth I, addressing her troops ahead of the battle with the Spanish Armada. Spoken at Tilbury, England, 1588
I know I have the body of a weak and feeble woman, but I have the heart and stomach of a king, and of a king of England too.”
President Ronald Reagan Speech to the House of Commons, British Parliament on 8 June 1982
“The march of freedom and democracy….will leave Marxism-Leninism on the ash-heap of history”
Explorer
“Whosoever, in writing a modern history, shall follow truth too near the heels, it may happily strike out his teeth.”
British Member of Parliament
“At the next General Election, voters face a clear choice: deregulation and less interference in everyday life with the Conservatives, or yet more regulation and interference under Mr Blair.”
“Nations are nations if they feel themselves to be a nation. And Scotland overwhelmingly feels itself to be a nation”
“The labour movement had the best opportunity in 50 years to transform not merely an industrial situation and win an important battle for workers in struggle, but an opportunity to change the government of the day.”
Speaking in 1975
“I’ll always be fond of dear Ted, but there’s no sympathy in politics.”
Spoken in 1975
“I’ve got my teeth into him, and I’m not going to let go”
“The President of the Commission, Mr Delors, said at a press conference the other day that he wanted the European Parliament to be the democratic body of the Community, he wanted the Commission to be the Executive and he wanted the Council of Ministers to be the Senate. No.No.No.”
(Debate in the House of Commons, 30 October, 1990)
“I like Mr Gorbachev, we can do business together.”
(TV interview for the BBC, 17 December, 1984)
“To those waiting with bated breath for that favourite media catchphrase, the U-turn, there is only one thing to say: You turn if you want to. The Lady’s not for turning.”
Conservative Party Conference, 10 October, 1980
“To have known him was to have one’s life changed by him. Now, as the sorrow passes, we are left with memories and with pride.”
Enigmatic member of the House of Lords known for her frank style
“At the age of 81, I am left with one pleasure and that’s passive smoking. I love it.”
“A marriage is no amusement but a solemn act, and generally a sad one.”
Attributed to the Queen
“We are not amused”
One man’s wage increase is another man’s price increase.” – 1970
Prime Minister Harold Wilson
“If the Tories get in, in five years no one will be able to afford to buy an egg.”
Prime Minister Harold Wilson – attributed, 1954
“A week is a long time in politics”
“He who rejects change is the architect of decay. The only human institution which rejects progress is the cemetery.”
“Society exists only as a mental concept; in the real world there are only individuals.”
“I do not wish them [women] to have power over men; but over themselves.”
Leader of the House of Commons during 2009 expenses scandal (written)
“The government fully supports these proposals. The failure to publish more details of the use of rectification is clearly potentially damaging to the House’s reputation.”
