Ann Widdecombe

Politician

1947-10-04

Ann Widdecombe is a British politician, writer, and television personality who served as a Member of Parliament and later as a Member of the European Parliament. She became known for outspoken public commentary and media appearances.

Books by Ann Widdecombe

The Clematis Tree
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Father figure
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An Act of Peace
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Quotes by Ann Widdecombe

The political classes are despised when they deal in sound bites, embrace tokenistic campaigns and feather their own nests while trying to please all of the people all of the time.
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If you'd said to me when I was 21, 'You're going to get into parliament, be a senior minister of state, shadow health secretary, shadow home secretary, a privy councillor, be endorsed by the Times as a candidate for Speaker, have four novels published, and then have great fun after you retire,' I'd have said, 'That sounds like a good life.'
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We have no blasphemy laws these days but with that freedom comes the responsibility which should always attend the exercise of free speech: truth, courtesy and an awareness of impact. It is the last of these which is so neglected by so much modern comedy.
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Always carry a handkerchief. Especially in television studios.
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All of us, whether public figures or private individuals, should feel safe in our own homes and not fear surveillance from nosy neighbours.
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Some books are like an hors d'oeuvre - light, tasty and leaving you longing for the main course which is never going to come - and some are like Christmas lunch immediately after a cooked breakfast.
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My mother always said bringing me up was a tiring business, which I 'believe. For instance, when we lived in Singapore, the Chinese staff used to leave their slippers at the bottom of the steps. Every night, I used to go and remove their slippers. I stopped being tiresome at about 14.
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The Arctic has huge glaciers, frozen waterfalls and floating ice. This is scenery on which man has left no mark, which has stayed unchanged for centuries, wild, bleak, hauntingly beautiful; it is a part of God's creation we have made no effort to tame.
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It's not a question of being out of touch or traditional. It's a question of wanting to preserve marriage as uniquely between a man and a woman. Gays get full civil rights with civil partnerships anyway.
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Great political leaders risk unpopularity, patiently explain their case and confront prejudice, bigotry and vested interests.
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The Royal Opera House? I once had the immense privilege of appearing there and was awed by the air of refinement of those seemingly ethereal beings who floated about in the highest echelons of musical accomplishment, effortlessly producing virtuoso performances in several different languages.
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In politics there is no right answer - and no final answer.
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