Get QuoteDark Inspirational Quotes App

" Solidarity and interdependence, a sense of worth, a pride and hope in the future: these are positive gains for those who believe in progressive politics and the beneficial role of government, rather than a detriment. "

David Blunkett

Positive

Pride

Politics

Related Quotes:

" I did not in late November start the plethora of linking my private life with public events again. "

" It is certainly true that as we grow older, our need for healthcare also grows. It is also true that those who have lived their lives in the most difficult circumstances and experienced the most exhausting and challenging work places need healthcare the most. "

" As home secretary, I gained a reputation for being 'tough'; less concerned with liberty than with public protection. "

" In an ageing society, it makes sense to support older adults to develop new skills, prolonging their working lives. "

" Without the political parties and the volunteering work of their members day in, day out, we would have a very different sort of politics and society. "

" Changes to parliamentary procedure won't transform the lives of the people whom I represent. Decentralising, devolving decision-making and renewing civil society will. "

" We have a media that presents every politician as being as bad as the next. There is no distinguishing between one good idea or another; no explanation of why constitutional change should be uppermost in the minds of the people I represent. "

" I don't think anyone can say I have said one thing in public and done another in private. "

" We need a government which, yes, guarantees basic standards in public services, but which also steps in to protect people's wellbeing as they take part in our consumer democracy - particularly online. "

" I didn't come into politics to have to deal with the issue of clandestine entry, illegal working, or an asylum system that allows a free run for right-wing bigots. "

" We need to build on what we know works - local oversight of schools to keep a check on performance, timely interventions in schools to support those at risk of failing, and partnerships between schools to help each one to improve. "

" Despite being in public life, I value my own privacy immensely and would be as concerned as anyone else if I thought my mobile phone records could be easily available to officials across government. "

" Faith in technocrats over politicians is not a trend from which Britain is exempt. "

" Strengthening our identity is one way of reinforcing people's confidence and sense of citizenship and well-being. "

" As education and employment secretary in 1997, I inherited hundreds of schools where the roofs leaked, the windows rattled, and they relied entirely on outside toilets. "

" We've got to get back to old-fashioned politics that's in touch with the people we seek to represent and to avoid self-inflicted wounds. "

" If you have a sense of irony or humour, you're usually cut down, as you're usually distorted or misinterpreted. So it does lead to us being slightly more dour and staid and predictable than would otherwise be the case, which I personally find quite frustrating - because if you don't laugh occasionally in my job, you cry most of the time. "

" It's not just parliament that requires radical modernisation. It's our democratic processes. "

" But any perception of this application being speeded up requires me to take responsibility. "

David Blunkett

Perception

" The government must give men and women without power a real say over what happens to them, and the means of engaging in a participative, invigorated and living democracy. "

" The government wants to be able to attack extremism and hatred wherever it occurs. "

" I am not a parliamentarian. I am a politician. Some MPs leave and are itching to get back. I don't feel that. This is just a work environment. "

" I was affected by the harshness of government, the reality of 16-hour days, and the pressures of modern communications. "

" Back in 2003, when I was home secretary, I introduced the victim surcharge on offenders to substantially expand the support available and, I hoped, the protection of witnesses who were brave enough to come forward. "

" At this very moment in time there will be people making, breaking relationships, regretting deeply what they've done, and causing hurt, but that is a fact of life, and if we weren't full of emotion, we'd be automatons, and I don't think people want us to be that. "

" In government, you are pressed by the security agencies. They come to you with very good information, and they say, 'You need to do something.' So you do need the breath of scepticism, not cynicism, breathing on them. "

" For six and a half years, I had responsibility for leading the Labour party policy on education and delivering on our promise of improved opportunities for all our children. "

" It is feasible for someone who comes from a privileged background to understand the privilege they have had and to use the formal political arena in a way that would disperse power and engage with people in their own lives. "

" I am totally in favour of reform - but it must be reform that changes the nature of British politics, not simply the makeup or operation of parliament. "

" In primary schools, I set two main objectives - to cut infant class sizes and improve literacy and numeracy. "