politicians-from-wales

"I was horrified to hear of today's bombings in Varanasi, which resulted in the loss of innocent lives, and injury to many other victims. On behalf of the British Government I totally condemn this indiscriminate violence. Our thoughts are with the families and friends of the victims, and with the Government and people of India, at this time. The attack in Varanasi follows a series of other terrorist atrocities in India. It demonstrates once more the evil that the world continues to face. We remain determined to work closely alongside India in its fight against this evil."

"A little vain we both may be, Since scarce another house can show, A poet, that can sing like me; A beauty, that can charm like you."

"Dear Betty, come give me sweet kisses, For sweeter no girl ever gave: But why, in the midst of our blisses, Do you ask me how many I’d have? I’m not to be stinted in pleasure; Then, prithee, dear Betty, be kind, For, as I love thee beyond measure, To numbers I’ll not be confin’d."

"I have followed the inspiration of Churchill, Macmillan, Heath and Thatcher, who gave Britain a leading position in one of the power blocks of the 21st century. I have seen that overturned on a cynical exploitative combination of promises led by Boris Johnson. He won a large majority on the slogan Get Brexit Done. Yet here we are, years later, when the criticism, even from its most fanatical supporters like Nigel Farage, is that Brexit has failed."

"If I have to intervene to help British companies... I'll intervene—before breakfast, before lunch, before tea and before dinner. And I'll get up the next morning and I'll start all over again."

"The issue before Cabinet, Margaret said, was quite simply the restoration of the doctrine of collective Cabinet responsibility (not something of which she was at all times the most devoted adherent herself). To that end Michael would have to be gagged, by the requirement that he could say nothing on the issue without first clearing it with Robert Armstrong, the Cabinet Secretary. Michael objected that this was wholly impracticable, and that in any case collective Cabinet responsibility could scarcely apply since she had not permitted a proper collective discussion of the issue. He spoke quietly, and not at all aggressively, and sought to find some compromise arrangement. But Margaret was adamant. She could see that Michael was now isolated in the Cabinet. The general view of the colleagues was that Michael had become obsessed with the issue, and had lost all sense of proportion... She pressed home her advantage; whereupon Michael slammed his Cabinet folder shut, saying "If this is the way this Government is going to be conducted, I no longer wish to be part of it", picked the folder up and strode out of the room. It was the most dramatic moment in any Cabinet I have attended."

"Michael is one of the most talented people in politics. His talents are selective and cultivated to what always seemed to me the point of exaggeration. But anyone who has seen him on television or on a public platform will quickly accept that they are real enough. Michael and I are similar in some ways, very different in others. We are ambitious, single-minded and believe in efficiency and results. But whereas with me it is certain political principles that provide a reference point and inner strength, for Michael such things are unnecessary. His own overwhelming belief in himself is sufficient."

"The market has no morality."

"I was unwarrantably provoked by the singing of The Red Flag. [...] I thought "here is a neo-Marxist group in the House of Commons." Having cheated over the motion, cheated in the lobbies, I thought that in the circumstances they might as well have the mace as well! I rapidly realised this was a reflection on the authority of the Speaker and the House I tried to apologise and will do so unreservedly as soon as I can."

"I dined with Michael Heseltine at his request at the Stafford Hotel towards the end of July [1990]. "Are you going to run in the autumn?" I asked him bluntly. He obfuscated at first (he did not really know me well enough to take me into his confidence) but later, as we lingered over several brandies past midnight, he said: "I am of a mind to do it. But I have only one bullet in my gun. I can't afford to miss"."

"I said about Andrew Neil that I couldn't understand his position: "He says he is a Thatcherite but in fact Heseltine is a corporate dirigeste – the exact opposite of Thatcherism.""

"Michael was one of the great, commanding political figures of my time and I always admired and sympathized with him."

"I knew that, "He who wields the knife never wears the crown.""

"I have since come to know Michael Heseltine well, and now count him as a friend. But at this time I found him hard to read. He made no effort to enlist me as an ally even though I knew that we had several points in common. We both held a generous view of the role of the Conservative Party in social matters; neither of us denied the importance of government action in carrying this through. We both believed strongly in Britain's role in the European Union, though Michael carried his enthusiasm for integration faster and further than I did. But our temperaments were different. Michael was a cavalry leader, relying on the excitement of a charge to carry him to success. For example, I was surprised and dismayed by his vehement desire to transform the structures of the Civil Service which had always been part of my working life. Michael relished and I disliked the scent of danger."

"I decided to give Michael his big chance and put him into Defence. There Michael's strengths and weaknesses were both apparent. He defended our approach to nuclear arms with great panache and inflicted a series of defeats on CND and the Labour Left. He reorganized the MoD, rationalizing its traditional federal structure. Supported by me in the face of departmental obstruction, he brought in Peter Levene to run defence procurement on sound business lines. These were real achievements. But Michael's sense of priorities was gravely distorted by his personal ambitions and political obsessions."

"Polluted rivers, filthy streets, bodies bedded down in doorways are no advertisement for a prosperous or caring society."

"This relentless Rwanda obsession, every day, the rows, the demands to be more extreme, to defy human rights law and international responsibilities… it’s such sinister madness. The govt has lost it. Eaten up with their own failure. Becoming ever more fascist in their uselessness."

"No, I’m not going on Strictly. I won't dance. Don't ask me. Our primary job is running the country. We've got to a state now where most of us are more fixated on our two-minute clip on Twitter than a sustained, nuanced argument."

"We get very complacent about the state of our democracy. We think that because we’ve got parliament, and people get elected, that’s the democracy box ticked. It’s not."

"[On the damage done to politician's public reputation by the actions of MPs such as Boris Johnson] We've gone from 45 per cent of people thinking we're all terrible and lying all the time to 80 per cent. That is really problematic. Government is by consent and if the people no longer think that, in the main, parliament is there to defend their rights and freedoms, then the danger is they'll go, "What is the point of democracy?" It's easy for someone to say it's a lot more efficient to just have someone in charge. Why bother with getting things through the House? Why bother with persuading people? That’s the danger."

"The best option available to us in terms of our economy is remaining in the European Union"

"There's an emergency cord on this [Brexit] train and we have to pull it,"

"We need to take this decision back to the people"

"This guarantee only covers about half of the regional funding due to Wales and does not provide the long-term certainty needed and which was promised ahead of the referendum."

"[My party is] committed to work co-operatively with every other opposition party and do everything in our power to avoid a catastrophic crash-out Brexit"

"When it comes to a no-deal Brexit, we need to stop talking in terms of the hypothetical and theoretical, and start talking with candour about real and damaging consequences it would bring. It would be catastrophic."

"We despise everything Tommy Robinson stands for. His values are not our values and they are not Wales' values."

"While it is clear that the UK needs a plan to defeat extremism and fundamentalism in all its forms and identities, I fear that the current UKIP leadership believes the best way to do that is to incubate and cultivate a rival fundamentalism"

"I'm not sure that it's true to say they were going to the right in particular with regard to Tommy Robinson. I think that Tommy Robinson reflects the views of a great many people. He's quite a courageous character."

"I have made it absolutely clear throughout my political career that as a Christian I am not a racist in any shape or form"

"It is shocking, it is absolutely shocking to me that you think that you can turn up here this afternoon, with the mess that your party has made, to the budgets of this country, to the reputation of this country around the world, that you promise those people (NHS workers) that there will be more to come, and you think that you turn up here this afternoon and claim some sort of moral highground. What sort of world do you belong in?"

"Aneurin Bevan used to say that he’d never met a Tory until he was 21. Conference, we have a responsibility to offer young people in Wales today that same opportunity."

"This must be done quickly - we cannot afford the economic damage being done every single day as a result of Brexit uncertainty."

"If the House of Commons remains deadlocked, then going back to the people will have to be the way forward. A prosperous future for Wales is secured by continuing membership of the EU."

"We stand on the brink of a new Conservatives prime minister who appears, on both candidates' part, to be dedicated to the idea that you could leave the EU without a deal. That's absolutely catastrophic from the Welsh perspective."

"I've got quite a thick skin... but I don't think we should just accept threats of rape or shootings"

"Our exit from the EU will be one of the most pivotal moments in our history and it is vital that both governments get it right."

"We have to recognise the vote and people voted to leave. So what we do now is discuss the best kind of Brexit possible for Wales; the least worst option, if you like."

"Wales voted Leave, but it does not mean that the Welsh government should sit back and let Brexit take its course"

"Brexit provides an opportunity for the nations to take more power and responsibility from the UK. The referendum result shows how Westminster rule has left many communities behind. It should in no way be interpreted as a vote to centralise more power in London. No self-respecting country should be timid or ashamed of governing itself. It's disheartening to see such a negative attitude from some in Welsh politics."

"[The High Court ruling] should not be seen as an opportunity to overturn the result. It gives an opportunity for the 48% of voters who backed Remain to have an input and pursue a soft Brexit."

"Now, that [the Norwegian model] would enable us to retain an element of freedom of movement"

"Leaving the EU would risk our hard-won gains including rights at the workplace, access for businesses to the single market and would diminish our contribution to global challenges such as climate change and conflict resolution."

"We will continue to work together in the spirit of constructive collaboration to promote the benefits of EU membership for Wales and to campaign for Remain"

"I've been quite surprised by how so many people have been able to be persuaded around this question of fear of immigration. We've got a week now to try to persuade as many people as possible that it is in Wales' best interests to Remain as a part of the European Union."

"Do not forget what is at stake at this election. Do not forget all that will be put at risk if dangerous right-wing isolationist Europhobia is victorious. Our businesses rely on £5bn worth of trade with our EU partners every year. Our country has benefited from investment in our infrastructure and communities, with more on the horizon. More than one in 10 jobs are directly dependent on our membership of the EU - that's 150,000 reasons to vote Plaid Cymru in this May's election."

"The EU is too important to be discarded"

"First minister, last night you participated in the first major public debate on the future for Wales within the European Union. You went head-to-head with the voice of the far right. Do you think your performance helped or hindered the Welsh campaign on the EU?"

"[Only Plaid Cymru can] further the Welsh national interest at the heart of Europe... More than one in 10 jobs are directly dependent on our membership of the EU - that's 150,000 reasons to vote Plaid Cymru."

"It is not possible in 2016 to simply pull up the drawbridge and retreat to an idyllic isolation. And even if it were, surely that isn't the kind of country we want Wales to be. [I want a] decentralised, partnership of equals as the basis for the new Europe."