THE TRUTH
ABOUT POLITICS
In politics, the unexpected happens.
The politician’s prayer is: may my
words be ever soft and low, for I may
have to eat them.
In democracy everyone has the right to
be represented, even the jerks.
The wisdom of hindsight, so useful
to historians and indeed to authors
of memoirs, is sadly denied to
practising politicians.
We’re not saying, ‘We’re politicians,
trust us.’ We know you don’t trust us.
In politics, it is
the half-hearted
who lose.
In politics people give you what
they think you deserve and deny
you what they think you want.
You don’t tell deliberate lies, but
sometimes you have to be evasive.
I believe that in politics one
should decide what is right and
then decide the presentation, not
the other way round.
MPs are divided into two categories –
whips and former whips.
If you discover one thing over the
years, it is that you cannot plan a
political career.
No one can win alone. Ever. You can
only win by having a lot of people
thinking and working the way you
do. It’s not a victory for Margaret
Thatcher, it’s not a victory for women.
It is a victory for someone in politics.
It is better to be a has-been than
a never-was.
Politics is a life sentence. It’s an
obsessive, all-demanding, utterly
fascinating, totally committing
profession – stimulating,
satisfying, stretching.