Edward Coke Quotes
We have a maxim in the House of Commons, and written on the walls of our house, that old ways are safest and surest ways.
Edward Coke, 1552-1634, English Solicitor General, Attorney General and Speaker of the House of Commons, Speech in Parliament, May 9, 1628
Sourced by: Eigen's Political and Historical Quotations
This is the ultimate extreme of conservatism which literally means to conserve what is. Salisbury argues that even if you truly believe that the status quo is bad, you should keep it as the risk of change and unexpected consequence is so great that it is not worth the risk. Interestingly, this is the same mode of thinking which created the command in the Koran for Muslims to live with a terrible Caliph or ruler (unless he is a blasphemer or heretic) rather than risk the instability of regime change. See {590195} and {593076} as examples.
In the English political system the Executive Branch and the Legislative Branch are the same. In the House of Commons, the Front Benches are reserved for the Cabinet Ministers. The argument here is that when politicians become ministers, their career and party success often become more important than the welfare of the country.
This handwritten letter was placed in the President's desk drawer in the Oval Office for incoming President Donald Trump. This continued a recent tradition whereby outgoing Presidents have left letters of advice and encouragement to their successors,
Sir Edward Coke SL was an English barrister, judge, and politician who is considered to be the greatest jurist of the Elizabethan and Jacobean eras.
