“Patience is a virtue; virtue is a grace.”
― Jacob Rees-Mogg
“Lobbying has become a term of reproach, as if it were improper to push for a particular belief. This has happened because of paid lobbyists whose opinions are for hire and the fear that decision-makers, whether politicians or officials, are susceptible to their charms and wiles. This has tarred entirely proper lobbying with the same brush.”
― Jacob Rees-Mogg
“A constitutional monarchy requires the monarch to be above politics but to be fully informed about politics.”
― Jacob Rees-Mogg
“Eschatological fears are an ancient human concern. The Romans expected the world to end in 634 B.C. owing to a prophecy involving twelve eagles, while the early Christians anticipated the Final Judgment in their own lifetimes. Pope Sylvester II thought A.D. 1000 would be the last year, a view updated for the modern age by the Millennium bug.”
― Jacob Rees-Mogg
“It is easy to defend the right of people to do things that fit in with the cultural norms of the majority. This includes practices that give personal pleasure but may be harmful, such as smoking or drinking. It is harder to argue for minority activities, especially those which stand out and may be obviously unsuitable in certain contexts.”
― Jacob Rees-Mogg
“Although nannies who cover more than one generation are rare, those like Veronica Crook – who looked after me and now looks after my four children – are pearls of great price. They provide a continuity and stability for a family that is of inestimable value for the child and, indeed, the man.”
― Jacob Rees-Mogg
“Before the government decides to raise the minimum wage, it must consider the effects of the tax and benefits merry-go-round that affects the low-paid.”
― Jacob Rees-Mogg
“I like to have one car that I can be certain will go. The thing about classic cars is you can’t always assume they will go.”
― Jacob Rees-Mogg
“Governments want to control information. To do this, they have elaborate systems for promoting themselves via propaganda departments and for ensuring confidentiality with official-secrets laws. There are good reasons for these: people need information, and national security deserves secrecy.”
― Jacob Rees-Mogg
“One of the great constraints on economic growth and employment is that the tax and benefits system has grown up over generations and does not give the right incentives. Increasing the minimum wage does not solve this problem.”
― Jacob Rees-Mogg
“Free Trade puts consumers at the centre of economic activity. It lowers the cost of imports, which gives people the opportunity to buy more with the same amount of money: domestic producers have to compete with the lowest global costs or invest in new business.”
― Jacob Rees-Mogg
“It is hard to see taxing plastic bags as one of the great issues of our time that merits the foremost place in our finest statesmen’s minds. It is an absurd little issue, a picayune proportion of household waste, and a pointless inconvenience in people’s lives.”
― Jacob Rees-Mogg
“Extradition treaties date back at least to 1259 B.C., when the Hittite King Hattusili the Third and Ramesses the Second signed a treaty of ‘peace and brotherhood for all time.’ They have become more commonplace as international travel has become easier and sensibly streamlined.”
― Jacob Rees-Mogg
“When Margaret Thatcher was leader, she and Michael Heseltine were hardly soulmates, but she would not have allowed personal rivalry to take the heat off the Labour Party, whose own deep internal divisions are buried in other news now, nor would she have countenanced any attempt to have a show trial.”
― Jacob Rees-Mogg
“Zero-hours contracts are a low proportion of the workforce; they provide a route into employment and flexibility for staff. They benefit business, consumers, and taxpayers by keeping costs down, and they boost productivity, allowing the efficient use of labour.”
― Jacob Rees-Mogg
“There is sometimes an almost vindictive streak in politics whereby governments follow policies which they know will harm the electorate, but nonetheless, they keep them, sometimes for years. The Corn Laws are a classic example.”
― Jacob Rees-Mogg
“I’m not a moderniser. I accept that things like escalators do need an upgrade every now and then, but I think the fundamental principles of Conservatism have a long thread running through them that does not need to be modernised.”
― Jacob Rees-Mogg
“In England and, later, the United Kingdom, Habeas Corpus is a right of great antiquity: Anyone who is arrested must be brought before a court, but this does not apply in continental countries.”
― Jacob Rees-Mogg
“When I’m overseas, I suspect I look like Mr. Bean.”
― Jacob Rees-Mogg
“I think, with a negotiation, you have to go in knowing what you want, knowing what your bottom line is, and knowing what you might accept if you’re absolutely pushed.”
― Jacob Rees-Mogg
“As a general rule, governments are wise to avoid taxation that is voluntary, as they need a steady stream of income.”
― Jacob Rees-Mogg
“Proper British nannies put the child ahead of everything. They do not like to see children used as accessories, carried around in slings for the convenience of the parents’ social life. They want a proper set-up, where the baby is rested and happy, not shown off to all-comers.”
― Jacob Rees-Mogg
“You’ve got to judge people, ultimately, by their actions rather than their words.”
― Jacob Rees-Mogg
“I have never been to IKEA, no.”
― Jacob Rees-Mogg
“Zero-hours contracts offer an entry point for people who are either new to the workforce or have commitments that make it hard to work full-time.”
― Jacob Rees-Mogg
“Supermarkets have contributed as much to increasing the standard of living in the United Kingdom as almost any government policy. They bring a level of convenience and quality that was unknown to previous generations at a highly competitive price because of their buying power.”
― Jacob Rees-Mogg
“If people ignore the rules already, new regulations are not likely to deter them.”
― Jacob Rees-Mogg
“A power of recall that depended solely on the electorate and was not subject to unnecessary hurdles of Parliamentary procedures would show trust in the good sense and fairness of the British people. In return, they might trust Parliamentarians a little more.”
― Jacob Rees-Mogg
“Constitutionally, a revising chamber is useful and important. The first occasion I know of in history when the Lords fulfilled this role was in 1539 when Henry VIII’s act of proclamations was neutered by their lordships so effectively that the Act was repealed in 1547.”
― Jacob Rees-Mogg
“The Catholic Church’s teachings are authoritative. There is a moral absolute on abortion – that it is wrong.”
― Jacob Rees-Mogg
“I believe that politicians should implement the promises that they’ve given in manifestos.”
― Jacob Rees-Mogg
“The appetite of the British people for a long-term involvement in another Middle Eastern conflict could not be weaker. There is no wish to have any further long-term obligations of a military kind that do not affect the most direct national interest.”
― Jacob Rees-Mogg
“We are the Conservative and Unionist party. No Conservative would do anything to harm the union, and that crucially includes Northern Ireland.”
― Jacob Rees-Mogg
“My personal opinion is that life begins at the point of conception, and abortion is morally indefensible.”
― Jacob Rees-Mogg
“I’ve made no pretence to be a modern man at all, ever.”
― Jacob Rees-Mogg
“Obstacles to trade put up the cost both to consumers and businesses.”
― Jacob Rees-Mogg
“It is in all our interests that the government, when buying goods or services, pays the lowest price.”
― Jacob Rees-Mogg
“Subsidising inefficient businesses does not encourage them to become more competitive and means that extra money has to be taken from tax payers for the same result. Inevitably, this reduces the total size of the economy and lowers living standards.”
― Jacob Rees-Mogg
“In an age of considerable bureaucratic burdens, a business knowing immediately that someone who has the relevant training is eligible to work in the United Kingdom is an important convenience and helps keep costs down.”
― Jacob Rees-Mogg
“The promise of welfare and welfare regulation mean that there is no incentive to accept jobs that do not meet basic standards.”
― Jacob Rees-Mogg
“The arguments over the limits that may be put on individuals suspected of sympathising with the enemy have occurred over the centuries. Habeas corpus was suspended during the Napoleonic wars, and Defence Regulation 18b was applied during the Second World War.”
― Jacob Rees-Mogg
“Electorally, the number of women who want to wear a burka is insignificant, yet it is important to defend such a minority against the tyranny of the majority.”
― Jacob Rees-Mogg
“The state ought not to intervene to prevent individuals from doing things that not only are no risk to others but are of no risk to themselves either.”
― Jacob Rees-Mogg
“In the 2010s, it is not the price of bread that is falsely and unnecessarily inflated by obstinate politicians but that of energy. There are cheap sources of energy either available or possible, but there is a reluctance to use them.”
― Jacob Rees-Mogg
“Perhaps one day the world will end, giving the last group to predict it the satisfaction of being right – but as many have been wrong so far, it does not seem wise to make public policy on the back of these fears.”
― Jacob Rees-Mogg
“A poor worker is taxed heavily to receive his own money back with a modest supplement. Surely it would be more efficient just to pay the supplement and take him out of direct tax altogether.”
― Jacob Rees-Mogg
“Employers’ national income is a particular disincentive to employ because it is an expense without benefit.”
― Jacob Rees-Mogg
“A decision by the government to arm the rebels in Syria ought to be taken as carefully as one to commit British troops. It is akin to war, albeit by proxy, and must be treated with equal seriousness and meet the tests for a just war.”
― Jacob Rees-Mogg
“Assad is unquestionably guilty of the most grievous fault and has inflicted horrors upon his people.”
― Jacob Rees-Mogg
“The experience in Iraq has taken away the essential trust which political leaders need before embarking on military action. It was meant to be about weapons of mass destruction rather than regime change. Unfortunately, the nation was misled, and secret service information was misused.”
― Jacob Rees-Mogg
“It’s widely accepted that it is reasonable for a government to use tax policy to change behaviour.”
― Jacob Rees-Mogg
“Sometimes ‘sin’ taxes are useful not because of their perceived health benefits but because they are effectively a form of voluntary taxation which tends to arouse less irritation than other taxes.”
― Jacob Rees-Mogg
“The House of Commons has the undoubted rights to expel members for misconduct. This is an absolute authority which cannot be challenged in any court, as it derives from the twin concept of the High Court of Parliament being the most senior court in the land and of each House’s right to regulate its own affairs.”
― Jacob Rees-Mogg
“It has never been the case that a peerage can be extinguished, even for the lifetime of a peer, by a motion of the Lords. This does not mean that there are not effective ways of penalising errant peers.”
― Jacob Rees-Mogg
“’Ever closer union’ is one of the totemically controversial phrases in the European Union’s Treaties. It seems to give weight to the view that the scheme is designed to end in a single state and that those who agreed the texts have long know this, even if they have been unwilling to admit it to the British people.”
― Jacob Rees-Mogg
“No one questions the right of individuals to go to the Central Lobby to explain their views to their own Member of Parliament. It is important for those in power to hear arguments in favour of policies from all sides and ought to lead to better decision-making.”
― Jacob Rees-Mogg
“The requirement upon the sovereign to ‘advise, encourage, and warn’ means that the Queen must be well informed. The weekly audience with the Prime Minister is not to discuss the weather but to talk about the most pressing problems facing the nation. An ill-informed monarch cannot do that and would fail in a key constitutional task.”
― Jacob Rees-Mogg
“Overseas investors have a choice. They can buy property, equities, bonds, or a host of other assets either in the United Kingdom or abroad. Each decision will be taken depending on the available net return, that is, the profit after tax.”
― Jacob Rees-Mogg
“London’s central role in the financial market would be undermined if wealthy foreigners did not want to come here.”
― Jacob Rees-Mogg
“Many foreign property owners work in the City of London and are encouraged to bring their expertise and earning power to this country because of the favourable capital tax environment. Attacking their property profit may encourage some to leave, but it would certainly deter others from coming in the first place.”
― Jacob Rees-Mogg
“In the U.S., free speech and the press are protected by the First Amendment. It has a clarity unmatched by modern legislators and declares that ‘Congress shall make no law… abridging the freedom of speech, or the press.’”
― Jacob Rees-Mogg
“Press freedom has great virtues. It is not about irresponsible scandal-mongering, although that may be part of the picture. It is a means of revealing wrongdoing.”
― Jacob Rees-Mogg
“Freedom rests on a rational distrust of government; government will always use its power to benefit the incumbent administration.”
― Jacob Rees-Mogg
“The biographies of the great rarely report much about the nanny, but for many, she will have played a crucial role in their formative years.”
― Jacob Rees-Mogg
“A nanny, by being the child’s doughty defender, may put sensitive noses out of joint.”
― Jacob Rees-Mogg
“It is obviously sensible the crossing of a border ought not to protect a criminal from the consequences of his crime.”
― Jacob Rees-Mogg
“Fundamental protections, the assumption of innocence, trial by jury, and the right to appear before a court have all been sacrificed on the altar of the E.U. superstate.”
― Jacob Rees-Mogg
“Not everyone will always agree with me.”
― Jacob Rees-Mogg
“I think that conservative principles have a broad appeal, and you should state them boldly, and the point of a Conservative election is to do conservative things, not to do Labour things but slightly less damaging.”
― Jacob Rees-Mogg
“I’m not a great beer drinker, but I do like Butcombe, probably because it’s made of good Somerset water.”
― Jacob Rees-Mogg
“Unsalted butter is a sin against the Holy Ghost.”
― Jacob Rees-Mogg
“I very much like potatoes.”
― Jacob Rees-Mogg
“I like some vegetables.”
― Jacob Rees-Mogg
“It is not for me to enforce my morals on others.”
― Jacob Rees-Mogg
“I take the teachings of the Catholic Church seriously.”
― Jacob Rees-Mogg
“Marriage is a sacrament, and the decision of what is a sacrament lies with the Church, not with Parliament.”
― Jacob Rees-Mogg
“I was left ã50 when I was ten by a fairly distant cousin, which my father invested in GEC shares on my behalf. I became interested in the market and was given some more shares by my father, which is when I began looking to see how the shares were performing and learning how to read company reports, balance sheets, and so on in order to gauge that.”
― Jacob Rees-Mogg
“I went into investments out of interest and thought I knew a little. The longer I’ve been involved, the less I realise I’d known.”
― Jacob Rees-Mogg
“I’ve never put all my eggs in one basket, and I’ve always been cautious.”
― Jacob Rees-Mogg
“One doesn’t need money to run for Parliament, but it is undoubtedly expensive.”
― Jacob Rees-Mogg
“Tony Blair adopted the accent of the audience he was speaking to, which worked very well initially, but then voters began to perceive him as phoney. The ‘man of the people’ act is the height of condescension.”
― Jacob Rees-Mogg
“I’m of the opinion that one of the perks of being in Parliament is not having to do the school run.”
― Jacob Rees-Mogg
“It is of considerable importance that politicians stick to their commitments or do not make such commitments in the first place.”
― Jacob Rees-Mogg
“We need to be free to do deals with the rest of the world.”
― Jacob Rees-Mogg
“We must be out of the protectionist common external tariff, which mainly protects inefficient E.U. industries at the cost to British consumers.”
― Jacob Rees-Mogg
“I would almost certainly vote for Trump if I was American.”
― Jacob Rees-Mogg
“I would always vote for Tory candidates in the United Kingdom, and I would probably be Republican if I was an American.”
― Jacob Rees-Mogg
“I’m not interested in the past, I’m interested in the future. Europe is past.”
― Jacob Rees-Mogg
“The E.U. is a backward-looking project based on an economic model of the 20th century.”
― Jacob Rees-Mogg
“If we want to change a law, we can do that in Parliament. That is a democratic right that has often been taken from the E.U.”
― Jacob Rees-Mogg
“I can’t see the point in being in politics if you’re not yourself. If you’re simply interested in implementing other people’s policies, then you should become a civil servant. If you have ideas and some form of ideology, then it’s exciting because you can argue forward.”
― Jacob Rees-Mogg
“I trust my electors. I see them in weekly meetings. I’m their advocate, I’m there to take up their case. I’m not there to decide whether they’ve got a good case or a bad case. And I think that if you trust people, they’re more likely to trust you back.”
― Jacob Rees-Mogg
“If we say to the E.U. our backstop position is that we will be the vassal state, why should the E.U. make any effort to make any arrangement other than us to be a vassal state?”
― Jacob Rees-Mogg
“Mark Carney is one of the enemies of Brexit. He has opposed it consistently.”
― Jacob Rees-Mogg
“The BBC always wants to blame things on Brexit. I’m not saying this is a conspiracy: I’m saying it is a fact of life.”
― Jacob Rees-Mogg
“I think it’s true – economically, you want to bake a bigger cake rather than slicing up an existing cake differently.”
― Jacob Rees-Mogg
“You alleviate poverty by trickle-down economics.”
― Jacob Rees-Mogg
“To have charitable support given by people voluntarily to support their fellow citizens, I think, is rather uplifting and shows what a good, compassionate country we are.”
― Jacob Rees-Mogg
“I would rather my constituents were warm and prosperous than cold and impoverished as we are overtaken by emerging markets who understandably put people before polar bears.”
― Jacob Rees-Mogg
“Meeting someone does not mean you’re endorsing them.”
― Jacob Rees-Mogg
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