David Blunkett Quotes
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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.
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Where asylum is used as a route to economic migration, it can cause deep resentment in the host community.
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In an ageing society, it makes sense to support older adults to develop new skills, prolonging their working lives.
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I don't think anyone can say I have said one thing in public and done another in private.
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It would be dangerous territory if I wasn't practising what I preach which is to always accept responsibility, always accept the consequences of your actions.
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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.
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As home secretary, I gained a reputation for being 'tough'; less concerned with liberty than with public protection.
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Businesses that fail to develop their staff are twice as likely to collapse. Firms seeking to reposition themselves for the economic upturn need to invest in their staff's flexibility, responsiveness and skills.
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I'm in favour of a sensible development of response units and their deployment in any circumstance where there may be a risk to the officers themselves or the neighbourhood they're in. I'm not in favour of a blanket arming of the police.
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I prefer a positive view of freedom, drawing on another tradition of political thinking that goes all the way back to the ancient Greek polis.
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That is why with enormous regret I have tendered my resignation to the prime minister today.
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In primary schools, I set two main objectives - to cut infant class sizes and improve literacy and numeracy.
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If you don't create a sense of order and stability, if people do not feel secure, then progressive politics is dead. That is a fact of history. The right has always emerged supreme when destabilisation and insecurity prevail.
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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.
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The clash between capital and labour, between those seeking to maximise profit and those with only their toil to sell, was the driving force for the creation of the trade unions in the 19th century.
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I'm convinced that quite a lot of young people, when they get in trouble with the law, it's a cry for help there. Because it's not that they go out to offend. It's that their behaviour is self-parading, it's the big 'I'. And sometimes that means they're really lacking in confidence.
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Let's not allow the voice of the people to be overwhelmed by the siren song of those who opposed regulation, who demanded that government should stand aside and let finance and business run the show.
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We need to use all the resources at our disposal in order to prosper. We need more employment, and we need employment to be spread more fairly across society.
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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.
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In today's world, learning has become the key to economic prosperity, social cohesion and personal fulfillment. We can no longer afford to educate the few to think, and the many to do.
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Throughout my political life, I've not been a stranger to controversy.
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I was affected by the harshness of government, the reality of 16-hour days, and the pressures of modern communications.
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I have never tried to fiddle my role as leader of the city of Sheffield, as an MP or as a minister.
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How to strike the right balance between our privacy and our expectation that the state will protect us and facilitate our freedom is one of the most difficult challenges facing us all.