James Cleverly Quotes

People feel politics isn't about their lives.

I don't think that people are disinterested or uninterested in politics. I think very often they are disengaged from the formal political process. To some extent they are suspicious or even despairing of formal politics as a means to give expression and effect to what they want.

There's a total separation between the federal government and the people. So running for president was an attempt on my part to get people to care enough to go vote. But people just don't bother. And that's why it's not working.

I think all politics is local.

At a moment when people are losing faith in their ability to participate in politics and make themselves heard, the media can play a critical role in reversing that sense of alienation.

Barack is at a level where he can't - no matter how much he wants to or how much we want him to - he's not going to come take out our garbage, so to speak. He can't be the garbage man and the president. He can't be the mayor and the alderman. He can't fill all those roles. So I always push for local, local activity on the political scene.

Just by making a decision to stay out of politics, you are making the decision to allow others to shape politics and exert power over you. And if you are alienated from the current political system, then just by staying out of it, if you do nothing to change it, you simply entrench it.

People are very interested in politics, they just don't like it labelled politics.

Young people, our rights and the things we care about, have been taken away because it doesn't really matter to the politicians whether or not we have them. We're just another demographic to try and please, but there's no point if we aren't voting.

As I said, I spent most of my adult life thinking I didn't have a vote, and therefore that what I thought didn't matter.

Politically active people felt more and more disenfranchised, particularly during the ultra-New Labour years.

By confirming the importance of politics and politicians in Britain, we can build from the bottom up and begin to reverse the worrying anti-politics trend, which will empower the elite technocrats and leave defenceless the man or woman in the street with a mere vote to cast.

I think there's such disgust and frustration because of Trump that people see me as the vessel for that frustration. They see me as the person who can give voice to what they're feeling.

Scepticism and cynicism about politics is so great that one of the best counters to it is what you can do at a local level.

Obviously, local elections are where you can make the most difference, but it's great when everyone starts talking about what they believe in.

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.

Having a small business and being one of thousands of people whom no one in government will listen to, I have decided to run for supervisor as a person.

I think you'll see a lot more people in the Valley get more involved in politics.

EMILY's List has worked a lot with swing women voters over the years, and one thing we've learned is that they are very cynical about politics and politicians. They very much want help with the challenges facing them and their families, and they feel like most politicians don't understand or want to lift a finger to help them out.

So few people vote these days, and I think it's partly because they don't feel like the institution really means anything to them. If you want them to vote, give them opportunities to do something else other than vote, to help.

I'm a big fan of Barack Obama. I think he carries a heavier burden and is held to a greater and higher standard than other candidates : I think there's a large, large portion of this country that feels disenfranchised and marginalized by the political process.

If we give up on politics, we're done for. Powerlessness is a self-fulfilling prophesy.

As politicians we have to react to the fact that many people do not feel that they can relate to the EU.

I do vote but I don't think that any political party represents my point of view.

I am not a politician... I only suffer the consequences.