David Blunkett Quotes
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To punish MPs because of the distance they live from London - those with fast train journeys quite close to London as well as those at some distance from both the capital or an appropriate airport - is perverse, but also dangerous to democracy.
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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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I don't think anyone can say I have said one thing in public and done another in private.
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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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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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We must look to an open, tolerant, inclusive England, which embraces the values of a Britain that still leads the world in terms of an open democracy, as well as an understanding of the needs for responsibilities and obligations to run alongside the affirmation of individual rights.
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Throughout my political life, I've not been a stranger to controversy.
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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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Being a Labour home secretary in the 21st century means fighting a constant battle against both extreme Right and Left.
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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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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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In an ageing society, it makes sense to support older adults to develop new skills, prolonging their working lives.
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Politics is only worthwhile if you are doing what you believe, regardless of the slings and arrows.
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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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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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As home secretary, I gained a reputation for being 'tough'; less concerned with liberty than with public protection.
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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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Being an MP is not a desperately hard life, like going down the pit or working in the steelworks - with which I am all too familiar, having been brought up in the city of Sheffield; and it certainly isn't badly paid compared with any of my constituents.
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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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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 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.
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By confirming the importance of politics and politicians in Britain, we can build from the bottom up and begin to reverse the worrying anti-politics trend, which will empower the elite technocrats and leave defenceless the man or woman in the street with a mere vote to cast.
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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.