3 posts tagged “quotation”

‘[S]urely it is a political philosophy to like what one sees of life in this country and to devote oneself to preserving and enhancing all that is good in our multi-cultural heritage, and to combating those influences which would seek to alter or destroy it. It is not necessary to be an obtrusive conservationalist or an obtrusive egalitarian or an obtrusive devotee of a simple lifestyle. It is enough to be a typical New Zealander, because by and large he is all of these, though unobtrustively.’—Rt Hon Robert Muldoon, Prime Minister of New Zealand, 1977*

* R. D. Muldoon: Muldoon. Wellington: A. H. & A. W. Reed 1977, p. 97.

From Muldoon by Muldoon, the political memoir written by the then-in-office Prime Minister of New Zealand:

The National Party has always been a mass membership Party, and although when we are in Government many of our good people become disgruntled and leave us, either in terms of Party membership or of voting at election time, when we are in Opposition they come back very quickly because they believe that even with all our faults we best epitomise what is most desirable in the New Zealand way of life.

   While the book is still current on many issues, this quote surely is one to which we can say, ‘How times have changed.’
   Squeaky and Head Prefect, I mean, the Leader of the Opposition, John Key and his deputy, Bill English, would kill to have that perception in 2008.
   Right now, it looks very élitist and male.

‘You wouldn’t worry so much about what someone else is thinking about you if you knew how seldom they do.’—Dr Joe McGraw, father of Dr Phil McGraw