“To the teacher weighed down with paperwork, I say: you've been messed around too often. You came into teaching to spend your time teaching children not filling in forms.”
Teacher
“I'm not, nor is anybody I know in government part of a nasty right wing clique.”
GovernmentAll Quotes by William Hague
“The Bill of Rights was intended to secure freedom of speech - the freedom of speech of members of parliament to speak freely rather than be at threat of... the threat of an over powerful monarch at the time.”
Freedom“Spending only what the country can afford, rewarding savings, encouraging independence, supporting marriage: people know that these things are common sense.”
Marriage“As far as I'm aware, everybody in the shadow cabinet accepts that there's a compelling case on climate change and a strong scientific case.”
Change“It is the mission of the next Conservative Government to build the Responsible Society.”
Government“It's really necessary for the United States to continue to give strong leadership to the Middle East peace process, supported by European countries at the same time.”
Leadership“We have to face the reality of climate change. It is arguably the biggest threat we are facing today.”
Change“The message I take all round the world is Britain is open for business.”
Business“We hope that the long darkness through which the Burmese people have lived may now be coming to an end.”
Hope“The world is not going into concentric blocs of power. It is actually going into a diffusion of power with more centres of decision-making than ever in human civilisation. That requires you to place yourself in far more hubs of power than ever before.”
Power“The people of Britain want a Home Secretary who will give them back their streets. They want a Home Secretary who will speak up for the victim, not the criminal.”
Home“Syria should not belong to one family, to one coterie, or to one party. It belongs to all the people of Syria equally, in all their religious and ethnic diversity.”
Family“Unless there is meaningful change in Syria and an end to the crackdown, President Assad and those around him will find themselves isolated internationally and discredited within Syria.”
Change“I think the way things have been left after Iraq is that people won't believe the Government of the day, so they have to know that lessons have been learnt and that all political parties and people, whether they were for or against the invasion of Iraq, have learnt lessons.”
Government“I think Britain would be alright, if only we had a different Government.”
Government“Inspiring scenes of people taking the future of their countries into their own hands will ignite greater demands for good governance and political reform elsewhere in the world, including in Asia and in Africa.”
Future“The EU is not a country and it's not going to become a country, in my view, now or ever in the future. It is a group of countries working together.”
Future“Let's not be afraid to speak the common sense truth: you can't have high standards without good discipline.”
Good“You do have to do business with and to try to influence people you don't agree with, or find disagreeable, so it's important to stress that balance.”
Business“We are not directly involved in Syria. But we will be working with our partners in the European Union and at the United Nations to see if we can persuade the Syrian authorities to go, as I say, more in that direction of respect for democracy and human rights.”
Respect