James Callaghan Quotes

The rule of law should be upheld by all political parties. They should neither advise others to break the law, nor encourage others to do so even when they strongly disagree with the legislation put forward by the government of the day.

If Britain becomes a member of the Community, it will be healthier for Britain, advantageous for Europe, and a gain for the whole world. I do not know of many economic or political problems in the world which will be easier to solve if Britain is outside rather than inside the Community.

I sum up the prospects for 1967 in three short sentences. We are back on course. The ship is picking up speed. The economy is moving. Every seaman knows the command at such a moment: 'steady as she goes'.

I've never been one to say that Britain was joining a happy band of brothers.

Those who advocate devaluation are calling for a reduction in the wage levels and the real wage standards of every member of the working class.

We used to think that you could spend your way out of a recession and increase employment by cutting taxes and boosting government spending. I tell you in all candour that that option no longer exists, and in so far as it ever did exist, it only worked on each occasion since the war by injecting a bigger dose of inflation into the economy, followed by a higher level of unemployment as the next step.

I am rather in favour of dealing with teenage hooliganism.

I am not proposing to seek your votes because there is a blue sky ahead today.

There are no instant solutions.

You never reach the promised land. You can march towards it

The surtax payers, having been soaked, have found a way to get out of the rain.

A leader has to appear consistent. That doesn't mean he has to be consistent.

There is not a single injustice in Northern Ireland that is worth the loss of a single British soldier or a single Irish citizen either.

A leader must have the courage to act against an expert's advice.

Some people, however long their experience or strong their intellect, are temperamentally incapable of reaching firm decisions.

Society today is so organised that every individual group has the power to disrupt it. How is their power to be channelled into constructive channels?

If the law is a bad law, there is always the contingent right to take action that you would not otherwise take.