Nigel Lawson Quotes

Powerful Nigel Lawson for Daily Growth

About Nigel Lawson

Nigel Lawson, Baron Lawson of Blaby, was born on October 16, 1941, in Hampstead, London. He is a British Conservative politician, economist, and author who served as the Chancellor of the Exchequer from 1983 to 1989 under Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher's administration. Lawson was educated at Eton College and Christ Church, Oxford, where he read Philosophy, Politics, and Economics (PPE). His intellectual journey was significantly influenced by the works of economists like Milton Friedman and Friedrich von Hayek, whose free-market ideologies played a significant role in shaping Lawson's political and economic views. In 1974, Lawson entered politics as Member of Parliament for Blaby. His career progressed, culminating in his appointment as Chancellor of the Exchequer in 1983, where he implemented policies such as tax cuts and deregulation, which became known as the Lawson Boom. Post-politics, Lawson has been prolific as an author. His books include "The View from No. 11" (1992), a memoir of his time in Downing Street; "An Appeal to Reason: A Cool Look at Global Warming" (2008), where he discusses climate change skepticism; and "The Quotable Lawson: An Unauthorised Selection from the Speeches, Interviews, and Writings of Nigel Lawson" (1997), a compilation of his most notable quotes. Lawson's life and career have been marked by his strong advocacy for free-market economics and his influential role in shaping British economic policy during the 1980s. His work continues to be debated and studied, making him a significant figure in modern British politics and economics.

Interpretations of Popular Quotes

"Economic policy is like a plane trying to land: if the wheels go on at the right moment, it doesn't much matter whether they go on too early or too late."

This quote by Nigel Lawson suggests that in economic policy, the timing of action matters less than actually taking action when it is necessary. Just as a plane needs to land at the right time, economic policy needs to be implemented at the correct moment for optimal results. However, he implies that if action is taken too early or too late, the overall outcome may still be successful as long as the action is eventually taken. This illustrates the importance of flexibility and adaptability in economic policymaking.

"It is said that politicians are not paid large salaries so that they can be honest."

This quote by Nigel Lawson suggests a cynical view on the nature of politics, implying that due to financial incentives, politicians may not have an intrinsic motivation to remain honest in their public duties. The statement is a critique of the potential for corruption when individuals are given positions of power and significant monetary compensation. It hints at a societal concern about trustworthiness in political leadership.

"The problem with socialism is that you eventually run out of other people's money."

Lord Nigel Lawson's quote underscores a fundamental issue with socialist systems, suggesting they rely heavily on the redistribution of resources amongst citizens, often through taxation. The phrase "other people's money" highlights that in such systems, the government is essentially spending funds that do not belong to it but rather come from its citizens (the "others"). The implication is that when the government exhausts these resources, it faces difficulties in meeting its financial obligations, potentially leading to economic instability or collapse. In essence, Lawson's quote warns about the potential consequences of overspending and mismanagement in socialist economies.

"Capitalism isn't about exploitation, it's about the pursuit of wealth and prosperity in a free market where everyone has an equal opportunity to succeed."

This quote by Nigel Lawson emphasizes that capitalism is not about taking advantage or exploiting others; rather, it's a system that encourages the pursuit of wealth and prosperity through fair competition within a free market. The underlying principle is equal opportunity for all participants to succeed based on their merit, skills, and efforts. It highlights the belief in individual freedom and self-determination as key elements of capitalism.

"There are no disasters, only opportunities. And, indeed, opportunities for profit."

This quote by Nigel Lawson emphasizes a perspective that views challenges or adversities as opportunities rather than disasters. It suggests that every situation has the potential to offer benefits or profits if one is open-minded enough to find them. In essence, it encourages a proactive, resourceful, and entrepreneurial mindset in dealing with any challenge or obstacle life may present.

God forbid that the United Kingdom should take a lead and introduce a sensible tax system of its own which would probably comprise a very low level of corporation tax - tax on corporate profits - and perhaps a low level of corporate sales tax, because sales are where they are, and sales in this country are sales here, which we can tax here.

- Nigel Lawson

Country, Here, Very, Introduce

I am delighted to accept the chairmanship of Vote Leave, to help ensure that the organisation is fully prepared for the start of the referendum campaign.

- Nigel Lawson

Start, Prepared, Ensure, Delighted

The NHS is the closest thing the English have to a religion.

- Nigel Lawson

English, Closest Thing, NHS

The right kind of immigrants can benefit the British economy enormously, but no country can accept indiscriminate, unlimited immigration.

- Nigel Lawson

Immigration, Kind, Country, Right Kind

One of the things that concerned me was the way the system operated: the wife who went out to work got a full personal allowance, but the wife who was working at home got nothing. This was particularly hard on wives who gave up work for a time to bring up children.

- Nigel Lawson

Bring, One Of The Things, Allowance

Raising the personal allowance is massively expensive. For the same amount of money, you could look at reducing the rate of tax.

- Nigel Lawson

Could, Raising, Amount, Allowance

I am in favour of a fully transferable allowance.

- Nigel Lawson

I Am, Am, Favour, Allowance

I am not surprised Cameron says he supports what Gillard is doing in Australia because we have, in the U.K., a totally misconceived climate change plan as well.

- Nigel Lawson

Change, Doing, Cameron, Supports

Those who claim that to leave the E.U. would damage the City are the very same as those who in the past confidently predicted, with a classic failure of understanding, that the City would be gravely damaged if the U.K. failed to adopt the euro as its currency.

- Nigel Lawson

Very, Damage, Euro, Claim

She felt Britain should not be so dependent on coal. She was in favour of building up nuclear energy to break the dependence on coal, and the main opposition to nuclear came from the environment movement. Mrs. Thatcher thought she could trap them with the carbon emissions argument.

- Nigel Lawson

Thought, Argument, Britain, Nuclear Energy

Prime Minister Cameron says he wants to be the greenest government ever, but the definition of green is immature... I don't deny for a moment that CO2 is a greenhouse gas, but there are so many other factors that affect climate. It is more complicated than the computer models that we are using. What the truth is, nobody knows.

- Nigel Lawson

Other, Affect, CO2, Greenhouse

I remember when we ignored Europe and we were totally committed to the Commonwealth and the former Empire, and thought imperial preference was the only thing which enabled us to survive, that was a mistake, and it's a similar mistake to feel Britain can't be a hugely successfully country - economically and in any other way - outside the E.U.

- Nigel Lawson

Country, I Remember, Other, To Survive

A flat-rate poll tax would be politically unsustainable; even with a rebate scheme, the package would have an unacceptable impact on certain types of household.

- Nigel Lawson

Package, Types, Unacceptable, Unsustainable

You do not need to be within the single market to be able to export to the European Union, as we see from the wide range of goods on our shelves every day.

- Nigel Lawson

Need, Wide Range, Wide, Export

Too much of British business and industry feels similarly secure in the warm embrace of the European single market and is failing to recognise that today's great export opportunities lie in the developing world, particularly in Asia.

- Nigel Lawson

Lie, Developing, Feels, Export

I don't think the government needs to be frightened of the banks in the slightest.

- Nigel Lawson

Government, Think, Needs, Frightened

When differences of view emerge, as they are bound to do from time to time, they should be resolved privately and whenever appropriately, collectively.

- Nigel Lawson

View, Differences, Bound, From Time To Time

If our system of cabinet government is to work effectively, the prime minister of the day must appoint ministers he or she trusts and then leave them to carry out that policy.

- Nigel Lawson

Work, Prime, Minister, Cabinet

The Treasury has enough trouble with forecasts even when they are trying to get them right.

- Nigel Lawson

Trying, Get, Even, Treasury

We should be forced to give so many exemptions and concessions (inevitably to the benefit of high spending authorities in Inner London) that the flat-rate poll tax would rapidly become a surrogate income tax.

- Nigel Lawson

London, Give, Income, Income Tax

I strongly suspect that there would be a positive economic advantage to the U.K. in leaving the single market.

- Nigel Lawson

Single, Market, Would, Suspect

As the resignation letter which I wrote to the Prime Minister clearly implies, it was not the outcome I sought, but it is one that I accept without rancour, despite what might be described as the hard landing involved.

- Nigel Lawson

Prime, Which, Minister, Implies

If you punish the banks, all you are doing is reducing the banks' capital, which you want to increase, and punishing shareholders, who have done nothing wrong.

- Nigel Lawson

Doing, Capital, Which, Increase

The heart of the matter is that the very nature of the European Union, and of this country's relationship with it, has fundamentally changed after the coming into being of the European monetary union and the creation of the eurozone, of which - quite rightly - we are not a part.

- Nigel Lawson

Country, Very, Which, European Union

However useful computer models may be, the one thing they cannot be is evidence. Computer climate models are simply conjectures.

- Nigel Lawson

May, However, Models, Conjecture

I have to say to the Government that you are not even getting nowhere fast - you are getting nowhere slowly.

- Nigel Lawson

Government, Nowhere, Getting, Slowly

I'm sure Mark Carney is a very clever young man, but I think that the government would be mad to move from inflation targeting to money GDP targeting.

- Nigel Lawson

Think, Move, Very, Mark

The successful conduct of economic policy is possible only if there is - and is seen to be - full agreement between the Prime Minister and the Chancellor of the Exchequer.

- Nigel Lawson

Agreement, Prime, Minister, Economic Policy

The 'in' campaign will attempt to scare people into believing that if the U.K. were to leave, investment and jobs would move abroad. They are as wrong about that now as they were when they warned that this would happen if we did not sign up to the Euro.

- Nigel Lawson

Scare, About, Euro, Campaign

In terms of the arguments, I think the pro-Leave campaign is winning them all.

- Nigel Lawson

Winning, Think, I Think, Campaign

The pro-E.U. campaign is all too likely to be based on a fear of the unknown because in most people's lifetime, we have never been out of the E.U.

- Nigel Lawson

Been, Likely, Based, Campaign

To govern is to choose. To appear to be unable to choose is to appear to be unable to govern.

- Nigel Lawson

Choose, Govern, Unable, Appear

No one, however long they have held the post, lightly gives up the great office of Chancellor of the Exchequer. Certainly I did not.

- Nigel Lawson

However, Certainly, Held, Post

It would be wholly wrong constitutionally for the unelected House of Lords to do anything, to kill anything of a financial nature that has been through the House of Commons not once but twice.

- Nigel Lawson

Through, Been, Wholly, Lords

I have long argued that in the modern world, corporation tax has had its day as a major source of tax revenue.

- Nigel Lawson

Corporation, Tax, Argued, Revenue

You have got to clear up that corporation tax in the modern way has had its day as a major source of revenue, and we have got to find a new system.

- Nigel Lawson

Corporation, New, Clear, Revenue

There is always, of course, a limit in a democracy as to what is politically possible, so you have to respect that limit. But in my experience, governments tend to be too timid.

- Nigel Lawson

Always, Governments, Timid

We already have a sabbatical system. It's called opposition, and I've had enough of it.

- Nigel Lawson

System, Had Enough, Had, Opposition

You don't need to be within the single market to trade; it's not an issue.

- Nigel Lawson

Single, Market, Issue, Trade

One of the most important things that a Thatcher government did was change the mood of the nation to give it back its confidence.

- Nigel Lawson

Give, The Most Important, Important Things

Most of the countries in the world are outside the E.U., and they are doing very nicely, thank you.

- Nigel Lawson

Doing, Most, Very, Nicely

This clutching hold of the E.U. is a sign of a lack of national self-confidence - which is not healthy.

- Nigel Lawson

Healthy, Sign, Which, Lack

Britain's destiny lies in Europe.

- Nigel Lawson

Destiny, Europe, Lies, Britain

If you're searching for quotes on a different topic, feel free to browse our Topics page or explore a diverse collection of quotes from various Authors to find inspiration.