Baffour’s Beefs

“We are going to emancipate ourselves from mental slavery because whilst others might free the body, none but ourselves can free the mind” – Marcus Garvey (later adopted by Bob Marley for his classic “Redemption Song”).

“For the most part, the areas which the British state does not want examined are still left alone by our serious [news]papers. The result is that an entire dimension of politics and the exercise of power is usually left out of standard reporting and analysis” – Seumas Milne, in his 1994 book, The Enemy Within – The Secret War Against the Miners.

“It is never wise to appear to be more clever than you are” – Willie Whitelaw, deputy prime minister under Mrs Thatcher, who inspired the Iron Lady for her famous quote: “Every prime minister needs a Willie”.

“Politicians who behave like Billy Graham cannot complain if converts get carried away” – Roy Hattersley, former deputy leader of the UK Labour Party.

“I do not admit that a great wrong has been done to the Red Indians of America or the black people of Australia by the fact that a stronger race, a higher grade race, has come in and taken its place” – Winston Churchill to the Palestine Royal Commission, 1937.

“A people who cannot read or quantify the hurt of history, the massive injury done them by other nationalities in history, cannot be a people in history” – Nathaniel Manheru, a Zimbabwean columnist.

“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry and narrow-mindedness; and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts” – Mark Twain, the American author and humorist whose real name was Samuel Langhorne Clemens.

“People the world over have always been more impressed by the power of our example than by the example of our power” — former President Bill Clinton, speaking at the Democratic Party’s national convention on 27 August 2008.