Places like the US and the UK seem to be getting pulled in so many directions by so many different factions within the country that there's no cohesive view of where we want to go, what we stand for and who we want to be.
— Liam Bates“When you tell people these things, they get a little fatalistic about it. They tend to think, 'Well, I guess there's not much I can do about that.' I would call that a bias. It is wrong just as often as it's likely to be right. We really need to interrogate and deconstruct that assumption. It's rarely true, and it can lead people to internalise some of these effects in a way that can be pretty damaging and totally unnecessary.”— Paul Eastwick
The quote archive
Politics
A growing archive of 3,000+ moments, drawn from every interview.
They would open every tin of beans or whatever was going out there, just in case there was something inside that shouldn't be.
— Michael BatesEven the whole recognition thing is just the old boys looking after the old boys' club.
— Michael BatesYou can form an online community, you can be a Discord server, but unless you actually have some sovereign territory, it remains an idea in people's minds.
— Liam BatesNormally what countries like the UK do is try and ignore things and hope they go away. Well, we've been there for 60 years, and we want to go further with it.
— Michael BatesLearning to deal with friction is a requirement for being a citizen.
— Sherry TurkleWhen politicians say, we are going to keep your factory open, knowing that there's no way that factory can compete in a globalised world, that also works against trust. What they should say is: you're going to lose your job because of what is happening around the world, and we have to retrain you. Nobody says that.
— Carlos GutierrezHow can I be against immigration when I came to this country as a refugee?
— Carlos GutierrezIt was classic Washington: lawmakers passed a bill so they'd have a positive talking point, and then put no effort into its execution.
— Carlos GutierrezThey would have to come clean about the catalogue of deception they have practised over the last 80 years.
— Jonathan Caplan KCThe whole discovery that we are not alone. And that fact, which is the right of every person to know, was swept away under the curtain with the rationale for keeping technology secret.
— Jonathan Caplan KCThe intrinsic disadvantage of a dictatorship is that a dictator does not get feedback, and so there is not a chance to make corrections.
— Jared DiamondNobody is winning in this situation. Humanity is not winning. We are all losing from it.
— Ian ProudIt's not a nine-to-five job. It's a lifestyle more than a career — and by lifestyle, I don't mean a pink gin-sipping lifestyle. It's a commitment to public service.
— Ian ProudYou can never fail in a crisis if you just act now — if you just do it, and think about the cost later.
— Ian ProudThe system incentivised the promotion of individuals who could read the room — or the Hippodrome.
— Anthony Kaldellis