Douglas Alexander Quotes

I was born into the Labour party. I was delivering leaflets by the age I could reach the letter box.

I have dealt with a pretty interesting mix of young people, many of whom have never been involved in any form of politics at any level who are interested in alternatives to austerity and debt, and older people who left the Labour party, mainly over Iraq, who are coming back in.

I've been going to Labour party meeting for over 50 years.

For me, the Congress party is now my life, the people of India are my life, and I will fight for the people of India and for this party.

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

My politics of optimism and hope still casts its lot with the Democrats - in the optimistic hope that the dying embers of its status as the party of our better angels, one that took risks for social justice, can still be fanned into a flame. But I'm an old man, born in 1969.

People know where I stand in the Labour party and what I believe in.

I'm a solid Labour party supporter. I aspired to be a Labour MP, but it's difficult to make the leap from the Foreign Office.

I have never been afraid to stand up to the leadership on issues where we disagree. If you chose to keep Cambridge Labour, then I can continue to press the Government for the things that matter to you, in a way that members of the opposition are unable to.

The future belongs to Conservatives. They are younger, they are more energetic, they dominate the party caucuses, they dominate the nominating process. They are committed to ideas, not simply personal aggrandizement or title.

Power? It’s like a Dead Sea fruit; when you achieve it, there’s nothing there.

I'm going to be fighting to rebuild the Democratic party no matter what. I'm going to be fighting to make sure the Democratic party is known among working people that we are their champion no matter what.

I'm a pro forma Bernie Sanders donor. In years past, when Michael Harrington was still alive, I was a very active member of Democratic Socialists of America.

I grew up when Labour was in power and I was able to appreciate the values and the difference the government could make. I joined the party as a teenager and its values run deep though my veins.

You'll never change anything in this country through voting. Nothing. Absolutely nothing.

The lesson is that my support for American policy counts for nothing.

The thing that worries me more than anything else is losing faith in the capacity of politics to change things. I don't mean scepticism, criticism, querying, but I do mean cynicism.

The cause of Labour is the cause of Ireland, and the cause of Ireland is the cause of Labour

I've opened my mouth on a lot of subjects. And I thought the more prestige you get, I'd have the power to do what I like. It's not true.

Do one of three things. One, go find a wailing wall and feel sorry for yourselves. Two, go psycho and start bombing - but this will only swing people to the right. Three, learn a lesson. Go home, organize, build power and at the next convention, you be the delegates.

Politics...You see, it depends on what kind of politics. What we did during my father's generation was a duty. And it was beautiful because its goal was the conquest of freedom.

Every generous illusion of youth leaves a wrinkle as it departs. Experience is the successive disenchanting of the things of life; it is reason enriched with the heart's spoils.

how poor and disheartening a thing is experience compared with hope!

When some people ask me about voting, they would say will you support this candidate or that candidate? I say: "I will support this candidate for one minute that I am in the voting booth. At that moment I will support A versus B, but before I am going to the voting booth, and after I leave the voting booth, I am going to concentrate on organizing people and not organizing electoral campaign."

I have always been involved in issue-based politics, not party politics - I was never really originally drawn to party politics.