Francis Maude Quotes

#1. We should be the natural home for the millions of Britons of immigrant origin. But we're not. Because too often we've sounded like people who wish they hadn't come here at all.

Francis Maude

#2. They don't think we're in touch with modern Britain, or understand modern Britain or like modern Britain.

Francis Maude

#3. David Cameron's message of change, optimism and hope is in tune with what Britain wants today

Francis Maude

#4. For the most part our grassroots members are serious, nice, tolerant people.

Francis Maude

#5. It always seemed to me a bit pointless to disapprove of homosexuality. It's like disapproving of rain.

Francis Maude

#6. Our party's committed to tackling failing schools and cutting crime.

Francis Maude

#7. Our party believes in diversity, not uniformity.

Francis Maude

#8. Our party has known great, great days. But we have no God-given right to survive, let alone to succeed.

Francis Maude

#9. So our problem is not Labour, it is us, is making us attractive enough to gain disillusioned Labour support and to compete effectively with the Lib Dems for those loose votes.

Francis Maude

#10. Our share of the vote overall rose by less than 1 per cent - yes, that's right: less than 1 per cent.

Francis Maude

#11. The party at its best has always been a modern party.

Francis Maude

#12. We need to show that we know and understand and can reflect today's Britain. Today we don't.

Francis Maude

#13. I feel fantastically excited that we have a leader who fought for the leadership without compromising his quite challenging view that the party has to change.

Francis Maude

#14. We should be the natural home for young mothers. But we're not. Because too often we sound like people who think the only good mother is a married mother.

Francis Maude

#15. Everyone now claims to be a moderniser and it's obvious, really. I mean, no one now says 'We need to go backwards ... to the days of Lord Salisbury'.

Francis Maude

#16. Our members are very much maligned. Obviously the average age is 60 something, but they all have children and grandchildren, they understand what we need to do, they want to win.

Francis Maude

#17. If we want to change what people think of us, then we have got to change.

Francis Maude

#18. But if we can work with people in other parties to get the right answer for the country we'll do that.

Francis Maude

#19. It is simply the view, and a view I think shared by most members of the party, that it is very difficult to have a leader that does not command the support of the parliamentary party.

Francis Maude

#20. We said in our 21st Century Party paper there are 61 mosaic groups, which the market research people use as different socio-economic categories and half of our members come from just five of those groups and that is very narrow - too narrow.

Francis Maude

#21. If we do what we think is right, not try to point-score, people will begin to trust us.

Francis Maude

#22. The problem we have is not Labour, in however it is configured.

Francis Maude