Churchill

Posted by Young Winston on September 26, 2003

In Reply to: Churchill posted by Dave on September 26, 2003

: Found it: "Any man who is under 30, and is not a liberal, has not heart; and any man who is over 30, and is not a conservative, has no brains." (Sir Winston Churchill)

I have found a different version:

"Show me a young Conservative and I'll show you someone with no heart. Show me an old Liberal and I'll show you someone with no brains." - Winston Churchill

I think that he probably expressed the sentiment about idealism and pragmatism in different ways at different times - I also think he used the word "communist" instead of liberal.

He was of course, more a politician of conviction than of party and it would be trite to cite him denouncing a particular party - in his usual way, he was denouncing excess of either idealism or hard-nosed realism.

A page of his comments would contain more profundity than a whole Hatton's worth from likes of Alistair Campbell and Hoon.

The only way Hoon emulates Churchill is that he doesn't contemplate defeat. The difference is Churchill was fighting for the country, not his own pathetic political career.

• Churchill Anwar 27/September/03