A consensus politician is someone who does something that he doesn't believe is right because it keeps people quiet when he does it.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- This quote defines a consensus politician as one who acts against their own moral judgment to maintain public calm.
- In plain terms
- A leader does wrong things just to keep people from making noise.
- What can you take from it?
- Political compromise can sometimes mean acting against personal integrity.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- When does keeping peace justify acting against one's beliefs?
- Is consensus always valuable?
Another view
The quote assumes silence is always the goal of political action.
More from John Major
Only in Britain could it be thought a defect to be 'too clever by half'. The probability is that too many people are too stupid by three-quarters.
Permalink to quote #21 The politician who never made a mistake never made a decision.
Permalink to quote #23 Oh, Lord, if I must die today, Please make it after Close of Play. For this, I know, if nothing more, I will not go, without the score . . .
Permalink to quote #20
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