It has been some few weeks in Galway politics - political U-turns, denials of freedom of speech, accusations of homophobia, cynical political skulduggery, dubious explanations of motive, and much embarrassment. With that in mind here is a selection of quotes which sum up Galway’s hectic political summer.
Politics is the art of looking for trouble, finding it whether it exists or not, diagnosing it incorrectly, and applying the wrong remedy - Ernest Benn
You have all the characteristics of a popular politician: a horrible voice, bad breeding, and a vulgar manner - Aristophanes
Ninety per cent of the politicians give the other ten per cent a bad reputation - Henry Kissinger
The Bible contains six admonishments to homosexuals and 362 admonishments to heterosexuals. That doesn’t mean that God doesn’t love heterosexuals. It’s just that they need more supervision - Lynn Lavner
No government has the right to tell its citizens when or whom to love. The only queer people are those who don’t love anybody - Rita Mae Brown
Free speech carries with it some freedom to listen - Bob Marley
Free speech is intended to protect the controversial and even outrageous word; and not just comforting platitudes too mundane to need protection - Colin Powell
I have come to the conclusion that politics is too serious a matter to be left to the politicians - Charles De Gaulle
It doesn’t matter what you do in the bedroom as long as you don't do it in the street and frighten the horses - Daphne Fielding.
You could move - Abigail Van Buren, Dear Abby, in response to a reader who complained about a gay couple moving in across the street and who wanted to know what he could do to improve the neighbourhood
Politics is supposed to be the second oldest profession. I have come to realise that it bears a very close resemblance to the first - Ronald Reagan
