On the record
They refuse, out of interest as well as out of patriotism, to engage the country in a permanent foreign scrape, to secure for themselves and their party a momentary home advantage.
Said by
Walter Bagehot
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gutenberg.orgWalter Bagehot: “They refuse, out of interest as well as out of patriotism, to engage the country in a permanent foreign scrape, to…”
Editor's note · Context
Bagehot argues that politicians avoid entangling the country in unnecessary foreign conflicts for self-interest.
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There is no ELASTIC element, everything is rigid, specified, dated.
We have thus a whole group of ancient republics of non-Aryan race, and one which, being more ancient than the classical republics, could not have borrowed from or imitated them.
They say, We reject your Bill for this once or these twice, or even these thrice: but if you keep on sending it up, at last we won't reject it.
The whole history of civilisation, is strewn with creeds and institutions which were invaluable at first, and deadly afterwards.
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