Carl L. Becker Quotes

What makes a politician accountable is not that there are millions of people who vote, but that there are procedures of government that force him to account for himself.

Leave no authority existing not responsible to the people.

An obvious precaution against the corruption of power is to divide the government.

If there is not competent Opposition, the government that comes to power won't have anyone to hold them accountable.

It's absolutely right that we scrutinise the leaders who after all are going to be in a position of great power.

You are not electing your parliamentarian or your MP to the corridors of power. You are electing them to the corridors of responsibility.

Anyone standing for leader of the Labour party has a responsibility to speak truth, because without that we will never win power.

What should be targeted is a concept of organic, and not just mechanic, democracy that preserves the rule of law, separation of powers, and that is participatory and pluralistic.

Advocacy groups and voters are not wrong to push candidates to declare their position clearly on policy issues. That is good citizenship. Hard questions should be asked of every candidate, every politician. And those public servants should be prepared to answer, but in their own words.

Mexico established a unique three-part governing system shared by the government, the information commission and civil society organisations.

We all learn in school that the judicial, legislative and executive branches of government must check and balance each other. But other non state institutions must participate in this important system of checks and balances as well. These checking institutions include the academy, the media, religious institutions and NGOs.

Governance is a way of organizing, amplifying, and constraining power.

I shall hold myself particularly answerable to my constituents for my present conduct, and in general to all my fellow Citizens throughout these States, when properly questioned.

Democracy is the process by which people choose the man who'll get the blame.

There is a tendency by a lot of officials to hide behind the king. And it's about time that officials take their responsibility and are responsible in front of the people.

All political power is a trust.

In a democracy, supposedly we hold power by what we do at the ballot box, so therefore the more we know about political power the better our choices should be and the better, in theory, our democracy should be.

Power without principle is barren, but principle without power is futile. This is a party of government, and I will lead it as a party of government.

Making music is like being the president: You can't tell people you're going to make health care free to get them behind you, but when you get that role, you don't do it.

On account of being a democracy and run by the people, we are the only nation in the world that has to keep a government four years, no matter what it does.

The White House alone cannot hold its opponents accountable.

When you don't have accountability, there's no limit to the things that people will say. One of the restraints on the vitriol and the filth that so often is part of the American political debate is that candidates have to stand by their ads.

If he be not impeachable whilst in office, he will spare no efforts or means whatever to get himself reelected.

Government is not a bottom line enterprise. You can get yourself elected ... but you can't fire the legislature if they won't do what you want.

Democracy is the fig leaf of elitism.