Words matter. These are the best Commons Quotes from famous people such as Neil Kinnock, Fred Ehrsam, Paul Romer, Ash Sarkar, Garrett Hardin, and they’re great for sharing with your friends.
No prime minister in Britain will ever be able to go to war without the endorsement of a majority of the House of Commons.
Public crowdfunding still suffers from a tragedy of the commons problem. Everyone will want the benefit of the crowdfunded efforts but is incentivized to sit on the sidelines and hope others chip in.
It is the job of government to prevent a tragedy of the commons. That includes the commons of shared values and norms on which democracy depends.
But communism is the only thing which says all things should be brought into the hands of commons to benefit all people. In the past, you’d call that communism. I think in the future, we’ll have to call that common sense.
In an approximate way, the logic of commons has been understood for a long time, perhaps since the discovery of agriculture or the invention of private property in real estate.
Why consider debates in the English House of Commons in 1628 along with documents on American developments in the late eighteenth century? The juxtaposition is not capricious, because the Commons during this period generated many of the ideas that were later embodied in the government of the United States.
In Westminster, I make sure I maximise my ability to represent my constituents. I can do that in a variety of ways: by asking written questions or questions in the House of Commons, through the scrutiny of bills and by sitting on the environmental audit select committee every week, as well as other committees.
What the government has to do, if it wants to govern for any length of time, is it must appeal primarily to the third parties in the House of Commons to get them to support it.
I am proud our government has passed a law that ensures priority hiring of Veterans, as I advocated for this, and spoke about it in the House of Commons.
As I told the House of Commons, God, if we believe in such a thing, does not need protection from criticism.
When I was 14, I told my mother I intended to be in the House of Commons in the morning, in court in the afternoon and on stage in the evening. She realised then a fantasist had been born.
I’m going to reduce the size of the Cabinet, cut the number of ministers, reduce the size of the House of Commons, campaign for a European Parliament with 100 fewer members, halve the number of political advisers, and abolish a huge swathe of Labour’s regional bureaucracies and agencies and their offices in Brussels.
People do not use foul language in the House of Commons chamber. They just don’t do it, and I don’t, either.
The government’s instinct is to shroud itself in secrecy – to act like the office of a president instead of as a collective cabinet government held to account by the elected House of Commons.
But there’s certainly only one thing I could never agree with George Galloway on. He’s a teetotaller and wants to close all the bars in the House of Commons. That is just not on.
Kris Commons and Scott Brown are key players for Celtic.
I studied politics and economics at Bristol, and people always assumed that I’d go into politics or a non-government organisation when I left. I might well do this later on. I’d love to represent a West Country seat in the House of Commons.
The food in the House of Commons is fairly good. The cafe in Portcullis House is really very high quality, and you also have a choice of eating in the more traditional restaurants, the Churchill Room or the Members’ Dining Room. I don’t often eat in them, though, as I’m usually on the run.
If Hitler invaded hell I would make at least a favourable reference to the devil in the House of Commons.
The House of Commons has the undoubted rights to expel members for misconduct. This is an absolute authority which cannot be challenged in any court, as it derives from the twin concept of the High Court of Parliament being the most senior court in the land and of each House’s right to regulate its own affairs.
When Stephen Harper was elected as the new Conservative Prime Minister – and he talked about repealing gay marriage and putting it to a vote in the House of Commons – Elton and I talked about getting married in Canada to make a statement, for ideological and political reasons.
The honest truth is that if this government were to propose the massacre of the first-born, it would still have no difficulty in getting it through the Commons.
I do think there is a great deal of caricature around the House of Commons. It is just that kind of place.
Freedom in a commons brings ruin to all.
Ruin is the destination toward which all men rush, each pursuing his own best interest in a society that believes in the freedom of the commons.
Now that the House of Commons is trying to become useful, it does a great deal of harm.
We’re allowed to say wonderful things about the Royal Family in the House of Commons. What you’re not allowed to say is: anything that might be truthful, but that might upset them. So from time to time I’ve been pulled up because I’ve said things which I think are important.
It is quite wrong for party conferences to be used as an excuse for the Commons not to sit. Conferences could be held at weekends.
The rise of capitalist practice and morality brought with it a radical revision of how the commons are treated, and also of how they are conceived.
When I was an MP, John Prescott barracked me in the House of Commons, shouting: ‘Woolly jumper! Woolly jumper!’
Jim Sheridan, the MP who wants to ban sketchwriters from the Commons for being rude about politicians, is a blithering idiot. Sorry, scrub that – clearly a very thoughtful person with whom I might conceivably disagree on some marginal issues. A blithering savant, perhaps.
Anyone who’s tuned in to the House of Commons TV coverage knows the benches are often empty. I like that. I’m a big fan of political transparency. It’s good for us to know which debates the MPs consider important enough to show up for, and which not.
If the Internet teaches us anything, it is that great value comes from leaving core resources in a commons, where they’re free for people to build upon as they see fit.
I. cannot stoop to reply to the folly and the slander of every poor Tory partisan who assails me, and I should not have noticed you but for the fact that you are a member of the House of Commons.
I am seeking every day to restore faith in Parliament – to ensure we have a House of Commons which is representative, effective and reconnected to the people we serve.
There’s no secret about my ambition, I do not want to go into the House of Commons. My only real political interest is in London and if one day I’m in a position to run for mayor, then terrific.
Protecting Americans from harm goes beyond police and national defense. It’s imperative that we not destroy the commons, the physical environment on which we rely.
If I am doing a speech at a Labour party meeting – I think I have done every constituency – I’ll look for a happy face, and talk to that face. In the Commons, with all the anger, I’ll fix on a blank panel above their heads.
What distinguishes a commons is that it is not private property, does not have a price, and is oriented towards ‘use value’ rather than ‘exchange value.’ It does not exist to generate profits.
A man may speak very well in the House of Commons, and fail very completely in the House of Lords. There are two distinct styles requisite: I intend, in the course of my career, if I have time, to give a specimen of both.
