Peter Maurer Quotes

We look to our leaders once we elect them to either lead us in the right direction or at least not crush us.

We consistently allow politicians to get away with playing identity politics rather than demanding evidence of what they're going to do and how they're going to do it.

Politics for me is when I feel a personal engagement between people: I don't trust politicians.

Unlike the general public, I rather like most politicians.

In elections in Iceland, I have always been an abstainer. It seems like politics is such a small bundle of self-important people, who don't have much to do with things I'm interested in.

Part of the problem you have is that you don't have a dialogue between elected officials and their constituents. They've built these barricades, these barriers around themselves and tried to avoid interaction with their constituents.

There's a tremendous gap between public opinion and public policy.

People don't like politicians.

The Bush administration doesn't particularly like public participation. It makes them look bad.

These days there are not enough of such intermediary groups, between the state and the individual, with the result that political leaders are often unduly guided by opinion polls.

For citizens to become fully engaged in holding their leadership to account, accurate information is required to see where action is needed, to measure the results of policies and programmes, to build support for courageous decisions and to consolidate political legitimacy.

At least the politicians are accountable to the voters.

If we want to truly regain the public's trust, we can provide greater accountability and transparency with a simple step. Let's start by communicating to our constituents about the votes we take.

I think politicians are so far out of step with what people really want.

Our political system is losing its ability to even explore alternatives …. I hope we will demand judgment from our leaders.

I think there’s more of a tendency now than in the past to avoid discussion of serious problems. It has a pernicious effect on our politics and on governing, because to govern, you need a mandate. And you don’t get a mandate if you don’t say what you’re going to do.

I am not on trial here, Mr. Chairman. This committee is on trial here before the American people. Let us get that straight.

Even if politicians spew confusing, convoluted jargon, these people are still meant to represent me, and the only way that happens is if I stay informed and vote.

Ask yourself, have you ever heard any of your PAP MPs ask the hard questions? As a Singaporean, you have a right to information that the Government is refusing to answer.

Politicians... say what they say - you might get every now and again a genuine one, innit? But I think people, like, as a whole make the difference.

And I would like to have a good, productive relationship with members of the City Council, but I'm not going to allow them to undermine what the people's choice was and what the people want, which is change.

Any politician can talk about resuscitating public trust.

So, you know, I actually don't think it's going to be that hard to spread the message to people that their leadership - not alone John Cornyn, but including John Cornyn in a big way - is failing us.

It's easy to be cynical about American politics. It's more important not to be.

We will need to work hard to break the cynicism, talk straight and rebuild trust in politics.