You can almost touch the history, and there’s the odd whiff of betrayal. ibid. Harry
What the hell kind of a prime minister is that? ibid. US President
Three years ago I exposed major crime in our financial institutions. ibid. Harry
I fear we may be becoming a jumped-up democracy. ibid. man at party
What many are calling the most radical programme of this century. ibid. news
If you jeopardise the Western alliance my government will be forced to regard that as a hostile act. ibid. American Marcus to Harry
What we have in mind is a phased withdrawal over two years. ibid. Harry
Marcus: You need the damn things.
Harry: Vietnam didn’t. ibid.
If we create our own rules we have a chance. ibid. Harry at cabinet meeting
Growing popularity for Harry Perkins and his policies. ibid. news
Lesson #1: Make the buggers shuffle uneasily in their shiny shoes. ibid. Harry
The message hasn’t got through to the real masters. ibid. Frederick in car
I sublimate my sexual urges into changing society. ibid. Harry to Frederick
One day, Mr Fiennes, you will have the entire population under twenty-four-hour surveillance. ibid. MI5 guy
Blackout: The Lights Go Out For Harry. ibid. The Globe headline
There’s strong opposition within the armed forces at the government’s non-nuclear stance. ibid. news
4In two weeks’ time at the Royal Ordnance Factory in Berkfield experts will dismantle and destroy a one-megaton Polaris warhead. ibid. Harry’s political broadcast
A sexual peccadillo never comes amiss. ibid. MI5 guys
Don’t let the bastards grind you down. ibid. Frederick to Harry
Your bases must be removed from our soil. ibid. Harry to Marcus Morgan
A very British coup, wouldn’t you say? ibid. Sir Percy to Harry
Do I frighten you all that much? ibid. Harry to Sir Percy
Just when I was getting used to the savage abuse of power. ibid. Harry to Sir Percy
I’m going to tell you the truth. ibid. Harry’s television broadcast
I’m calling a general election for June 11th. ibid.
People who remain quietly behind the scenes generation after generation. ibid.
[closes with sound of helicopters above polling station]
Oh hell, say that I am sui generis and let it go at that. Huey Long
The end move in politics is always to pick up a gun. Richard Buckminster Fuller
Larry Becker was born to run for office. He’s taking on the Wall Street banks who in return have declared Jihad against him. Knife Fight 2012 starring Rob Lowe & Carrie-Anne Moss & Julie Bowen & Saffron Burrows & Jamie Chung & Richard Schiff & Amanda Crew & Eric McCormack & Jennifer Morrison & Shirley Manson & Davey Havok et al, director Bill Guttentag
I can promise you an unending barrage of innuendo, vitriol and lies. ibid. fixer to new candidate
What would Machiavelli do? ibid. fixer
Good luck at the Foreign Office. Try not to annoy Russia. In the Loop 2009 starring Peter Capaldi & Tom Hollander & Gina McKee & James Gandolfini & Chris Addison & Mimi Kennedy & Anna Chlumsky & David Rasche & Enzo Cilenti & Paul Higgins et al, director Armando Iannucci, Toby to bird
Yeah, diarrhaea of a nobody. Yeah, I like that. ibid. Malcolm
Within your purview? Where do you think you are – in some fucking regency costume drama? This is a government department! Not a fucking Jane fucking Austen novel! ibid.
Don’t get sarcastic with me, son. We burnt this tight-arsed city to the ground in 1814 and I’m all for doing it again. Starting with you, you frat fuck. You get sarcastic with me again and I will stuff so much cotton wool down your fucking throat it'll come out your arse like the wee tail on a playboy bunny. ibid.
The last thing I ever wanted was to be alive when the three most powerful people on the whole planet would be named Bush, Dick and Colon. Kurt Vonnegut
The only difference between Hitler and Bush is that Hitler was elected. Kurt Vonnegut, Breakfast of Champions
In politics stupidity is not a handicap. Napoleon Bonaparte
Too bad that all the people who know how to run the country are busy driving taxicabs and cutting hair. George Burns
The worst illiterate is the political illiterate: he doesn’t hear, doesn’t speak, nor participates in the political events. He doesn’t know the cost of life, the price of the bean, of the fish, of the flour, of the rent, of the shoes and of the medicine, all depends on political decisions. The political illiterate is so stupid that he is proud and swells his chest saying that he hates politics. The imbecile doesn’t know that, from his political ignorance is born the prostitute, the abandoned child, and the worst thieves of all, the bad politician, corrupted and flunky of the national and multinational companies. Bertolt Brecht
Consensus: The process of abandoning all beliefs, principles, values, and policies in search of something in which no one believes, but to which no one objects; the process of avoiding the very issues that have to be solved, merely because you cannot get agreement on the way ahead. What great cause would have been fought and won under the banner: I stand for consensus? Margaret Thatcher
The brutal reality of politics would be probably intolerable without drugs. Hunter S Thompson, Kingdom of Fear: Loathsome Secrets of a Star-Crossed Child in the Final Days of the American Century
After years of secret slavery the Republican Party and the Democratic Party come out into the open and reveal to themselves and to the nation as nothing but the right wing and the left wing of the same bird of prey. There is not a word in either of their platforms that might not have been written and unanimously endorsed by a convention exclusively of corporation lawyers and Wall Street Bankers. The only difference between these platforms as some one has remarked, is the number of words used to say nothing. Confronted by the gravest crisis in the history of civilization, they have demonstrated, even to their own adherents, that they are without the vision of statesmanship, the courage of leadership or the conviction of patriotism. Allen McCurdy, Keynotes for the Third Party National Convention 1920
I’ll show you politics in America. Here it is, right here: ‘I think the puppet on the right shares my beliefs. I think the puppet on the left is more to my liking. Hey, wait a minute, there’s one guy holding out both puppets! Bill Hicks, Rant in E-Minor
In politics, you have your word and your friends; go back on either and you’re dead. Morton C Blackwell, Laws of Politics
Conscience has no more to do with gallantry than it has with politics. Richard Brinsley Sheridan, The Duenna II iv
Politics have no relation to morals. Niccolo Machiavelli
Politics is the entertainment branch of industry. Frank Zappa
It seems to me that liberal democracy in the end is the best arrangements of politics. Francis Fukuyama
It is an interesting observation to note how seemingly unknown personalities magically appear on the scene as presidential candidates. Then, before you know it, somehow you are left to choose from a small group of extremely wealthy people, who suspiciously have the same broad social view. Obviously it’s a joke. The people placed on the ballot are done so because they have been pre-decided to be acceptable by the established financial powers who actually run the show. Yet many who understand this illusion of democracy often think – if only we could just get our honest ethical politicians in power, then we would be OK ... Unfortunately, another fallacy. Zeitgeist addendum, 2008