Conservative Party Uk Politicians

"As a woman, I fully understand the threats to dignity and safety that the Bill poses, because it will change the social contract. In this country, we recognise that in toilets, changing rooms and public spaces, there are areas where only women are allowed. In a restaurant recently, I had an experience where a man dressed as a woman walked into the toilets where I was on my own. He stood behind me and stared at me in the mirror, looking me in the eye. I have no idea whether he intended me any harm, but my evolved instinct as a woman was to be frightened, because unlike in almost any other species, women are far less powerful than men and we cannot defend ourselves. [Interruption.] No, it is a fact. The difference in strength between men and women is phenomenal, which is why we have separate sex categories for sport. Women are evolved to be wary of men in intimate spaces, which is why we have single-sex spaces and why they must continue to exist for the safety and privacy of women. The Bill threatens that social contract."

"I am very, very cynical, and have never had much affection for politicians [...] But I am a punter, and a punter does not punt unless he has a chance of winning. I am not politically ambitious, and I do not need a career in this world [...] But I am genuinely excited by the opportunity that David Cameron has opened up. It's a punt. But I am not going to put myself in a position where I betray the things I believe in."

"Prime Minister, having been able to get so much done previously, I have struggled even to hold the line in recent months.The problem is not that the government is hostile to the environment, it is that you, our Prime Minister, are simply uninterested. That signal, or lack of it, has trickled down through Whitehall and caused a kind of paralysis. I will never understand how, with all the knowledge we now have about our fundamental reliance on the natural world and the speed with which we are destroying it, anyone can be uninterested. But even if this existential challenge leaves you personally unmoved, there is a world of people who do care very much. And you will need their votes. ... And as these issues inevitably grow in importance, so too will the gap between the British people and a Conservative Party that fails to respond appropriately."

"There are all kinds of problems with the European Union but nevertheless these things are possible. How can putting a tax on aviation fuel and going through that negotiation process be any harder? It's clearly not harder than establishing a European Union."

"I was brought up by my father to identify very strongly as Jewish. But the truth is, that beyond my name, which is a fairly strong Jewish name, 'Zacharias Goldsmith' changed from 'Goldschmidts' – I cannot claim to be all that Jewish. But if you type in my name on Twitter, you will find that I am at the very heart of the Jewish conspiracy. [They say] I have this amazing control over the press – which should make my mayoral contest very easy; and that my family have completely infiltrated the royal family."

"I can't be bought. I don't need to be bought. I'm not a careerist. I don't need to have a career in politics. I'm in a very, very luxurious position, but I am in a position of strength. I think I have been selected by Cameron, within the context of that understanding."

"[In response to Sunak's letter accepting his resignation] I am happy to apologise for publicly sharing my views on the Privileges Committee. I firmly believe our parliamentary democracy can only be strengthened by robust scrutiny, and parliamentarians should of course be free to be critical of its reports and proceedings. But as a minister I shouldn't have commented publicly. No 10 asked me to acknowledge that, and made clear that there was no question of my being 'sacked' if I did so. I was - and am - happy to do so. My decision to step down has been a long time coming."

"Every man today is afraid he's firing blanks; it's becoming very much harder for humans to reproduce. According to Danish research, we now have the sperm count of a hamster."

"[On gender ideology] If there's one place where a woman should be able to speak up about these issues, that should be parliament."

"Perhaps we could ask the Church of England to return to their day job and marry people for free."

"The problem with this point of view represented by those who subscribe to gender ideology is that they don't respond to rational debate with counterarguments. They respond to it with cries of 'bigots', or cries of trying to silence people who express an opposite point of view. That's what is so frustrating."

"I used to be obsessed by David Attenborough as a boy. He was my hero, and it was his work that made me fall in love with the natural world. At the same time I was exposed to information - through The Ecologist, actually, which in those days was rather boring - that told me how that natural world was under siege more than at any other time in its history. I used to sit in school learning about how to use a calculator and so on, but learning nothing about the threat to the ground beneath our feet. Why was no one screaming and yelling about it?"

"For children are not an economic burden. They are not a threat to personal autonomy or a lifestyle choice. Children are a joy and a blessing, they are the symptom and the cause of a society that has hope. Our children are the reason that we seek to rebuild a nation whose future is prosperous, safe and free."

"I think whatever I was doing I would be pretty fanatical, but I find it hard to imagine how you can't be fanatical about these issues. We're facing extinction . . . and I can be driven to an unbelievable, uncontrollable anger by what's happening today."

"I think ... I'm uncomfortable ... I believe every human being is equal before God. That's my faith position. I don't think we can get away from the fact that abortion is taking human life. There are obviously balances of rights, and I'm not an absolutist at all."

"[On a lack of "hope for the future" discouraging the young from becoming parents] That hope is sadly diminishing in so many of our young people today, because liberal individualism has proven to be completely powerless to resist the cultural Marxism that is systematically destroying our children’s souls. When culture, schools and universities openly teach that our country is racist, our heroes are villains, humanity is killing the Earth, you are what you desire, diversity is theology, boundaries are tyranny and self-restraint is oppression, is it any wonder that mental health conditions, self-harm and suicide, and epidemic levels of anxiety and confusion characterise the emerging generation? We must end the indoctrination of our children with destructive and narcissistic ideologies, instead protecting childhood, training children in the timeless virtues and teaching them how to love our country."

"In 10 years' time, I might be an eco terrorist. But I'll take the most effective path, whatever that is."

"[On William Hague, then Conservative party leader] I'd have to drug myself before I voted for him. Get drunk beforehand. And then wash myself afterwards."

"[On Tony Blair, then Labour prime minister] Wouldn't trust him with my dog. Wouldn't trust him with my budgerigar."

"If the magazine collapsed, if the world was going to self-destruct, I would just sink my hands into the mud and live like a pig. Not in a negative sense [...] I mean, I love pigs."

"[After the privileges committee report on other parliamentarians conduct was published ] I stand by my statement. Some of the members of the Privileges Committee treated their witness, Boris Johnson, with contempt by gestures and other actions. Had it been in a law court, the judge would have called them to order. Respect for the committee needs to be earned."

"Sad @SayeedaWarsi has gone. I was her whip when Party Chairman [sic] & know she has v strong views on Muslim issues. But DC [David Cameron] is right on Gaza."

"Serious questions will need to be asked about the manner in which the investigation was conducted. These were no jurists as was apparent by the tone of the examination. The question of calibre, malice and prejudice will need to be answered now or by historians."

"I am expecting a strong turnout of Conservative MPs at PMQs today [...] Not only to demonstrate their strong support for #Boris!! BUT also to prove they are NOT the one told by the Chief Whip to stay at home. I'll be there!"

"I could never appear on a discussion prog with @y_alibhai I would either end up with a brain haemorrhage or by punching her in the throat."

"Now, when the Sochi Games started I did a few tweets pointing out that Russia had a very crude and outdated legal system in its attitude to gays. And someone tweeted at me asking "are you gay or are you just pretending to be?" And I thought well, I could ignore this, but then again what the heck and I had this picture of Darren. So I tweeted: "What I can reveal is that I'm having an affair with a llama. But I won't say if it's a boy llama or a girl llama.""

"Been asked to resign as Vice Chairman, refused, so sacked over HS2 and my views on a recent Cabinet Minister. Still available 4 speeches etc."

"A friend of mine is Matthew Parris (the newspaper columnist) who breeds llamas [...] And Matt had a llama called Darren. Incidentally he names his llamas after the first person of the same sex as the llama who sees them. Darren is the local plumber. Unfortunately Darren took a shine when he reached puberty to his auntie Vera… Vera being a cleaning lady when she's not a llama. So there was a real concern that they would end up with a llama with two heads as a result of an incestuous relationship."

"I am sorry to hear of the increasing friction between Hindus and Muhammedans in the N.W.F.P. and the Punjab. One hardly knows what to wish for; unity of ideas and action would be very dangerous politically, divergence of ideas and collision are administratively troublesome. Of the two the latter is the least risky, though it throws anxiety and responsibility upon those on the spot where the friction exists."

"[On the issue of sewage in rivers, lakes and the sea] I'm not denying its a big issue but it always has been. I remember as a child in south Wales swimming in sewage. Jackson's Bay in Barry used to be a sewage outlet where we all went and paddled and swam - it was regarded as acceptable."

"If Northcliffe's unbridled publicity shocked Washington, it did much to make the country understand the meaning and demands of belligerency and without annoying it, for to the American public Northcliffe was not a high official behaving improperly, but a great and friendly English newspaper proprietor talking sense, though sometimes unpalatable sense, in striking phrases. He was thus able to impress upon the popular mind the great part played by the British in the war, a part which the French and the Italians were doing their best to belittle both in official Washington and in the Press, so as to strengthen their claim for American supplies and money."

"Northcliffe's prime aim was not political influence or power. It was to make his papers the best of their kind in the world, and he succeeded. The Times was a special case. Northcliffe regarded The Times as a national monument much like Westminster Abbey. He wished to preserve it and believed that running it at a profit was the only way of doing so. Political influence followed inescapably, often to Northcliffe's embarrassment. He did not want office or honours. He was not a party man. He was an intense patriot, and his patriotism dragged him into politics, especially in wartime. Northcliffe imagined that he was merely serving the interests of his country. To the politicians, he appeared an irresponsible figure, seeking to dictate to parliament and the government. His financial independence made him uncontrollable: he did not need subsidies from party funds. In addition, journalists from less successful papers stoked the resentment of the politicians. Northcliffe became the symbol, in conventional circles, for all the corrupting forces which were at work in British society."

"In a sense, he was the only completely convinced democrat that I ever knew. He did really believe that things ought to be decided by the mass-opinion about them. To find out what that was, or what it was going to be, and to express it powerfully, seemed to him not only profitable but right and wise."

"I have met few men who had such a quick comprehension as Northcliffe. It was never necessary to explain anything to him twice. He reminded me more of the higher type of American business executive than any foreigner I have ever known. He was dynamic, his phrases were vivid, his ideas crisp and clear, and he had a way of getting down at once to the vital thought in any question under discussion.―But Northcliffe was not a financier, nor did he pretend to be one. His strong point was in determining how to do things―the shortest and surest road to accomplishment."

"I am my own witness in this matter, for I knew your brother intimately in those years. In his talks with me he was always a Protectionist and we had many arguments on the subject. He always, in those days, attributed what he called the "colossal" success of the U.S.A. to protection."

"Northcliffe has never received the credit due him in the winning of the war. He was tireless in his endeavors to stimulate the courage and energy of the Allies, and he succeeded in bringing them to a realization of the mighty task they had on their hands. He was among the first to grasp the significance of President Wilson's philippic against the German military autocracy, and the distinction he made between the Junkers and the German people. He caused these utterances of the American President to be sent into Germany by countless thousands, and did more than any single man, other than Wilson himself, to break down the enemy's morale behind the lines."

"I want you to know I sincerely believe that your being in America during the most trying period of the war, making speeches throughout the country, had more to do with arousing the interest of our people than any other one thing I know of. I don't believe you appreciate what a hold you have on the American people. We did not realize the seriousness of the situation until you presented it to us."

"In accepting your resignation, I wish to assure you how grateful I am for the great services you have rendered to the Allied cause while holding this important post. I have had many direct evidence of the success of your invaluable work and of the extent to which it has contributed to the dramatic collapse of the enemy strength in Austria and Germany."

"You will go down to history as one of the great figures of the war."

"Merely to know him, to have the privilege of his companionship, was to be exhilarated. He exhaled a certain tonic quality which, by some—and assuredly by myself—was definitely experienced in his presence."

"[T]here was never a less far-sighted schemer than Northcliffe in the history of the world. His strongest characteristic, and the secret of his success, is that he is so extraordinarily sensitive to the mood of the moment. No one was ever less like a Machiavelli. What he really is, is a master of publicity, and that enables him to associate himself, and to be associated by others, with political movements and events with which in nine cases out of ten he has hardly the remotest connection. If Lloyd George had been wise, he would have asked him to undertake the whole business of foreign propaganda for the nation, and disregarded the jealousy of every other newspaper in the country. He could have justified his choice up to the hilt in that connection. No one would have done it better."

"Alfred was never a supporter of the whole programme of any political party."

"Alfred Harmsworth was a careful and conscientious purveyor of news. I never knew him unwittingly to disseminate inaccurate information."

"Northcliffe was...a potent force, and proved again and again a powerful factor, compelling the Government to recognise public opinion on war issues. But that was not his ideal. He desired to hold high office, and his associates told him they believed he would attain to a War Premiership. Whatever the political world may think of Northcliffe, one fact can never be disputed. He was the greatest figure who ever strode down Fleet Street. He had created the character, type and temper of every newspaper which he owned and there have been few changes of importance in Fleet Street since he left. He established his conceptions of journalism, not only by the direct influence which he brought to bear on that part of the Press he controlled, but indirectly by the example which he set to his competitors."

"I have always come away from his office, after seeing him, feeling 150 per cent more vigorous and encouraged. I have a really genuine and deep admiration for Northcliffe and I shall be very glad when he is back."

"Knowing much that is not known generally, I consider that you more than any other man in this country have really helped conspicuously and decisively towards the great Allied victory."

"A dog biting a man is not news; a man biting a dog is distinctly news."

"All that cricket reference is nonsense. The national game of Great Britain is Association Football. Cricket was nearly dead before the war. It died of the disease of elaboration, whereby a simple two hours' game was extended to a three-days' game."

"[Y]ou are to my mind and my convictions one of the great cosmic and world forces for good. It is to you and yr. faith that we owe victory over forces that were evil and without you a patched peace would have come about long ago with another war against Kaiserism. Whatever other dangers face mankind today, Kaiserism, thanks to you, is dead and done with forever."

"This man is asking what I have done in the war. The only claims that I make are, after many visits to Germany and Austria, I persistently warned the public here that the war was coming. I did so also on your side of the Atlantic when I spoke at Winnipeg in 1909 and in the same year at Chicago and San Francisco. I do not suppose that I had more than two or three thousand supporters at that time, but among them was Lord Roberts, who was as violently abused in Canada and the United States as he was here. When I endeavoured to introduce the aeroplane to officials here, again the only support I got was from Lord Roberts. I had to encourage it by huge prizes for flights. Our Government ignored the aeroplane, but the German Government replied to my prizes by a steady stream of premiums awarded to Germans who broke the records of other nations."