David Blunkett Quotes

Most people who get in trouble in politics usually get in trouble because they're disconnected from the people they serve, and I don't think anybody in Tennessee, even people who won't vote for me, would accuse me of that.

In the political realm, when I say I'm going to give everything, that means I'll represent the people to the best of my ability.

I think I should be active politically. Because I look upon myself as a politician. That's not a dirty work you know. Some people think that there are something wrong with politicians. Of course, something wrong with some politicians.

Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords has been one of my good friends in the House of Representatives. When she was brutally shot, Gabby was out doing what she loved to do - meeting with her constituents in a local setting, allowing people to speak to her directly about the issues that concerned them.

It is hard to say why politicians are called servants, unless it is because a good one is hard to find.

As a legislator, I saw how effective I could be by being transparent, posting and explaining all of my votes.

If you think too much about being re-elected, it is very difficult to be worth re-electing.

I knew that our community needed a very clear voice. and I think we deserved representation that rejected lobbyist funds and put our voters and our community first.

We need a Congress that cares more about doing the people's business than their own.

You can't assume anything in politics. That's why every Saturday I walk around my district. I talk to the longshoremen in Charlestown. I listen to the people in East Boston and their concern on the airport noise. I walk down to the Star Market in Porter Square, and people tell me about meat prices.

We need elected officials who care more about policy than politics.

I have a track record of going out and talking to my constituents and then standing up and representing them. That's what people want.

We can restore that vital trust between politics and the people.

A lot of people have the expectation that politicians shouldn't just disappear into the woodwork even if they didn't win the election.

The fact is the American people want men and women to stand up and represent them and to put their interests ahead of the party interests.

Spend a while listening to people in your district to make sure you understand how they are served well in government and how they could be served better.

I see myself as a former politician, and in that capacity, I say to other politicians, 'Hold back.'

People elect their representatives from the Gram Panchayat to Parliament. They vest their will and hopes in these representatives. In turn, the people's representatives devote their lives to the service of nation.

The job of an elected official is to communicate, to talk with constituents, to talk with the people of America, and I think Alexandria is excellent at doing that.

Elected office was never intended to become its own industry; it was to be filled with common men who, by way of still having jobs and families back home, maintained the connection to the problems of average, everyday people and thus could better serve.

In the district I represent, I have to talk to everybody.

The politician is your best friend - he always wants to be there when he's asking for your vote. But then, often, he doesn't have time for you when he gets into office. To me, it's the opposite. They should listen to you more when they're actually in office.

Every decision I make in Congress will be centered on the needs of the district.

I wanted to be an MP who was normal. I believe in politics, I'm a proud parliamentarian, and I want people to want parliamentarians again.

The cure for bad politics is the same as the cure for tuberculosis. It is living in the open.