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“The fundamental truth about globalization — that it represents freedom for capital and unfreedom for labour — is especially clear where global migrants are concerned.”
David McNally (professor) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Once capitalist classes learn to live with unions — which they generally do reluctantly, only after efforts to crush them have failed — they then attempt to co-opt organized labour. They do so by courting a "special relationship" with union leaders who, as their organizations become larger and more complex, typically assume the role of full time union functionaries.”
David McNally (professor) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The constituency parties were frequently little unrepresentative groups of nonentities dominated by fanatics and cranks, and extremists, and that if the block vote of the Trade Unions were eliminated it would be impracticable to continue to vest the control of policy in Labour Party Conferences.”
Sidney Webb, 1st Baron Passfield (1859–1947) first seen 1924 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Remarks to Beatrice Webb (19 May 1930), quoted in Beatrice Webb, The Diary of Beatrice Webb: "The Wheel of Life," 1924–1943, eds. Jeanne MacKenzie and Norman Ian MacKenzie (1982), pp. 216-217
“The Prime Minister has campaigned so woefully that I believe that we are now approaching a tipping point as voters realise that the general election is effectively over. Labour has won. The Conservatives will be in opposition, but not the Opposition. In their place, Reform UK now intends to be that voice of opposition in parliament and the country.”
Nigel Farage (born 1964) first seen 2024 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Mark my words: Reform will be the next opposition, then government awaits", The Telegraph (8 June 2024)
“[The Conservative party] is a machine for obtaining power. It would cheerfully guillotine the Queen in Trafalgar Square, if it thought that by doing so it could keep or gain office. That is why it has spent the past 20 years becoming more Blairite than New Labour.”
Peter Hitchens (born 1951) first seen 2018 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: How can anyone still think the Tory Party is Conservative after this?", The Mail on Sunday (7 October 2018).
“This conference has a very weird atmosphere – it’s a different atmosphere. It’s an atmosphere of a superannuated student union. They’ve just stayed in the student union through a lifetime. Until we have the maturity and generosity to have a genuine understanding of New Labour our growth will be stunted. The present criminalisation and demonisation of Blair doesn’t help us get to that place.”
Maurice Glasman, Baron Glasman (born 1961) first seen 2015 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: On the Labour Party conference in 2015
“Labour has always been a coalition between workerist and progressive elements, liberals and conservatives, mediated by socialism. It was held together by the belief that we are social beings who resist the domination of capital through democracy; and by the refusal to accept that human beings are a commodity or that our inheritance is exclusively monetary.”
Maurice Glasman, Baron Glasman (born 1961) first seen 2016 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: New Statesman article, 3 November 2016
“Even economists can't escape the fact that, as commodities go, labour is something out of the ordinary.”
Steve Keen (born 1953) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“If a 19th century capitalist Machiavelli had wished to cripple the socialist intelligentsia of the 20th century, he could have invented no more cogent weapon than the labour theory of value. Yet this theory was the invention, not of a defender of capitalism, but of its greatest critic: Karl Marx.”
Steve Keen (born 1953) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“It's Labour's way or Frankfurt's way.”
Eamon Gilmore (born 1955) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Writers who are also artist's only think of themselves as truly living when they are engaged in their sweet labour.”
Edward Storer (1882–1944) first seen 1913 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: 'Leigh Hunt' Herbert and Daniel, London, 1913
“The Labour party is no class champion. In politics it is frankly democratic, in economics it is co-operative... It was not bought into being to revenge the wage-earner and mercilessly smash the capitalist... Capitalist and labourer alike feel that some new order must evolve if England is to exist.”
Ramsay MacDonald (1866–1937) first seen 1850 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: The New Charter: A Programme for Working Class Politics (1892), quoted in Pat Thane, ‘Labour and local politics: radicalism, democracy and social reform, 1880–1914’, in Eugenio F. Biagini and Alastair J. Reid (eds.), Cu…
“[T]he Labour Party stands for a contributory scheme so far as this Bill is concerned. Moreover, we are in favour of a contributory scheme with reference to sickness, whilst we were in favour of a non-contributory scheme in reference to old age pensions.”
Ramsay MacDonald (1866–1937) first seen 1911 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Speech in the House of Commons on the National Insurance Bill (6 July 1911)
“What the Liberals have done to the Labour Party's programme is to come along like a gipsy, steal our child, get it in gaudy attire, and then produce it on platforms to perform at the General Election.”
Ramsay MacDonald (1866–1937) first seen 1922 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Speech in Swansea (15 March 1929), quoted in John Campbell, Lloyd George: The Goat in the Wilderness, 1922–1931 (1977), p. 226
“I do not intend to carry on when we are through this mess. As soon as we have turned the corner I will get out, but I do not want to leave the Labour Party in a bad position.”
Ramsay MacDonald (1866–1937) first seen 1933 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Remarks to Walter Citrine (27 January 1933), quoted in Walter Citrine, Men and Work: An Autobiography (1964), p. 288
“Prometheus... found the human race in a pitiable condition. They saw, he says, but they really saw not: they heard, but they understood not: they were like the phantoms of our dreams, and their labour was useless and unprofitable.”
George Long (scholar) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“J*Justice: “Justice is equality of rights in treatment, proportionate compensation for labour and punishment for crime, and compassion and relief for sufferers.”
Malcolm Azania (born 1969) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“No man has a right to free himself from the law of labour”
Henri de Saint-Simon (1760–1826) said by 1826 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: as quoted from The New International Encyclopædia, Volume 17, (1905 edition) p. 471, by Gilman, Daniel Coit; Colby, Frank Moore; Peck, Harry Thurston. Editor Dodd, Mead.
“While you rested in the shade, I left you a while: But till the end we shall be together. Our joint existence is impermanent: Sadly together we shall slip away. That when the body decays Fame should also go Is a thought unendurable, burning the heart. Let us strive and labour while yet we may To do some deed that men will praise.”
Tao Yuanming (365–427) said by 427 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The most remarkable aspect of the transition we are living through is not so much the passage from want to affluence as the passage from labour to leisure”
Henri Lefebvre (1901–1991) said by 1991 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Henri Lefèbvre (2000) Everyday Life in the Modern World Second Revised Edition. p. 52
“Which means we’re cheaper than the Chinese, cheaper than [the] Russians or anywhere else – and we’re doing it in the United States with American labour costs.”
Elon Musk (born 1971) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The fact is that we have realized that in labour disputes the use of violence plays into the hands of the ruling classes justifying the reaction of the military and discrediting the forces from below. Besides the refusal to use violence achieves the possibility of establishing even international solidarities of a very wide range”.”
Aldo Capitini (1899–1968) said by 1968 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I am concerned about the secrecy surrounding negotiations for trade treaties, which have excluded key stakeholder groups from the process, including labour unions, environmental protection groups, food-safety movements and health professionals.”
Alfred-Maurice de Zayas (born 1947) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The media should objectively inform about abuses associated with loan agreements when they occur, particularly instances of evictions, destruction of the environment, child labour and corruption.”
Alfred-Maurice de Zayas (born 1947) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“We must speak up for the children of Pakistan, India and Afghanistan who are suffering from terrorism, poverty, child labour and child trafficking. Let us help them through our voice, action and charity. Let us help them to read books and go to school. And let us not forget that even one book, one pen, one child and one teacher can change the world.”
Malala Yousafzai (born 1997) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“On New Labour: The worst government we've had to date, with a total lack of understanding of every area of expertise we have in this country, of the unique skills that should be nurtured and protected. They don't give a stuff about manufacturing because they believe it is redundant in the new world of services. I'd like them to commit mass suicide.”
Ivor Tiefenbrun (born 1946) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“We are committed to bridge the gap between the city and the village. We are committed to bridge the gap between capital and the labour. We are committed to bridge the gap between the citizen and the administration. We are committed to bridge the gap between the centre and the states. We are committed to bridge the gap between Linguistic, religious and caste groups.”
Atal Bihari Vajpayee (1924–2018) first seen 1983 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: New Delhi, 15-17 April 1983
“The journey down to the abyss Is prosperous and light: The palace gates of gloomy Dis Stand open day and night: But upward to retrace the way And pass into the light of day There comes the stress of labour; this May task a hero's might.”
John Conington (1825–1869) said by 1869 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“By capital we understand everything that, from the special use by the individual, or from its being placed at the disposal of others, produces a revenue or rent. We do not inquire into its origin, or ask whether it has been acquired by inheritance or by labour.”
Albrecht Thaer (1752–1828) said by 1828 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The Sabbath, perhaps the most important labour legislation next to the abolition of slavery, is a Hebrew institution.”
Cyrus H. Gordon (1908–2001) said by 2001 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Apprentices and servants are characters perfectly distinct: the one receives instruction, the other a stipulated price for his labour.”
Lloyd Kenyon, 1st Baron Kenyon (1732–1802) first seen 1797 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: The King v. Inhabitants of St. Paul's, Bedford (1797), 6 T. R. 454.
“Anyone who understands algebraic notation, reads at a glance in an equation results reached arithmetically only with great labour and pains.”
Antoine Augustin Cournot (1801–1877) said by 1877 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: p. 4; Cited in: Moritz (1914, 197): About mathematics as language
“It is the power to combine that labour has the most effective safeguard against exploitation and the only lasting security against inhuman conditions.”
V. V. Giri (1894–1980) said by 1980 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Lakshmidhar Mishra in: Human Bondage: Tracing Its Roots in India, SAGE Publications India, 12 July 2011, p. 425
“It would be a mistake to believe that Chilcot and current events are entirely unconnected. The link is through the Labour Party.”
Alex Salmond (1954–2024) said by 2024 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“It was this division of labour among specialists, unique to our species, that was the key to our ecological success, because it allowed the growth of technology.”
Matt Ridley (born 1958) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“That's me done. I wrote to Keir Starmer and spoke to him in person. I warned him about misogyny. He never replied. Labour has betrayed women with a raft of policies designed to appease trans-identified men. I don't suppose Starmer cares, but I've resigned my membership today.”
Joan Smith (born 1953) first seen 2024 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: From a post on X, as cited in "Prominent writer quits Labour over 'betrayal of women for trans rights", The Telegraph (24 June 2024)
“I commend the Judge that seems fine and ingenious, so it tend to right and equity. And I condemn them, that either out of pleasure to shew a subtil wit will destroy, or out of incuriousness or negligence will not labour to support the act of the party by the art or act of the law.”
Sir Henry Hobart, 1st Baronet (1554–1625) said by 1625 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“History does not show greed of gain as the motive of the great steps in industrial progress. The love of science, the pure delight of mechanical invention, the attainment of some slight personal convenience in labour, and mere chance, play the largest part in the history of industrial improvements. These motives would be as equally operative under state-control as under private enterprise.”
J. A. Hobson (1858–1940) said by 1940 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Does the hon. Lady agree that private medicine is a drain on the NHS and takes resources away from those who cannot afford to buy their way past the hospital queues? Does she further agree that it would be logical to remove pay beds and privatised services from NHS hospitals and bring back direct labour? Would that be alliance policy?”
Jeremy Corbyn (born 1949) first seen 1987 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Question in the House of Commons (11 May 1987).
“Labour is clear that we should remain in the EU. But we too want to see reform,”
Jeremy Corbyn (born 1949) first seen 2016 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: In quotes: Jeremy Corbyn and the EU referendum, BBC News (14 April 2016).
“The manifesto makes it very clear that the Labour Party has come to a decision and is committed to Trident. We're also going to look at the real security needs of this country on other areas such as cyber security, which I think the attack on our NHS last week proved there needs to be some serious re-examination of our defences against those kind of attacks.”
Jeremy Corbyn (born 1949) first seen 2017 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Corbyn: Labour is committed to renewing Trident BBC News (20 May 2017).
“[Labour is] not supporting or calling for a second referendum”
Jeremy Corbyn (born 1949) first seen 2018 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Jeremy Corbyn: I'm not calling for second EU referendum, BBC News (14 January 2018).
“Labour would seek a final deal that gives full access to European markets and maintains the benefits of the single market and the customs union”
Jeremy Corbyn (born 1949) first seen 2018 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Jeremy Corbyn backs permanent customs union after Brexit, BBC News (26 February 2018).
“We have long argued that a customs union is a viable option for the final deal. So Labour would seek to negotiate a new comprehensive UK-EU customs union to ensure that there are no tariffs with Europe and to help avoid any need for a hard border in Northern Ireland.”
Jeremy Corbyn (born 1949) first seen 2018 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Jeremy Corbyn backs permanent customs union after Brexit, BBC News (26 February 2018).
“Let me be clear, Labour will not support any Brexit deal that includes the return of a hard border to this island.”
Jeremy Corbyn (born 1949) first seen 2018 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Labour would be neutral in any border poll - Jeremy Corbyn, BBC News (24 May 2018).
“The only wealth you possess is your labour... France will become again what she should never have ceased to be—an essentially agricultural nation. Like the giant of mythology, she will recover all her strength by contact with the soil.”
Philippe Pétain (1856–1951) first seen 1940 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Speech (August 1940), quoted in Pavlos Giannelia, 'France Returns to the Soil', Land and Freedom, Vol. XLI, No. 1 (January-February 1941), p. 23 and Eugen Weber, 'France', in Hans Rogger and Eugen Weber (eds.), The Euro…
“Subdivision of labour requires that international agents should devote themselves first to languages,—their means of operation,—and next to the study of man, as an individual and in communities.”
Thomas Taylor Meadows (1815–1868) said by 1868 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: T. T. Meadows quoted in The Chinese Speaker (1916), p. 1 by Evan Morgan
“The partial absorption of art by domestic industry and by domestic female crafts, that is to say, the fusion of artistic activity with other activities, is a retrogression from the standpoint of the division of labour and professional differentiation.”
Arnold Hauser (art historian) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“In fact, what we are can only be attributed for a small part to our labour and personal individuality, because we owe it almost entirely to our forefathers, both of blood and mind.”
Marcellin Berthelot (1827–1907) said by 1907 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“This culture has developed, with those who’ve created it, doing so in the name of today's incarnation of Labour. There’s nothing kinder nor gentler about it.”
Rachel Riley (born 1986) first seen 2019 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Tweet (9 January 2019), as cited in "Rachel Riley in four-letter blast at George Galloway over Labour anti-Semitism row", Evening Standard (9 January 2019)