James Callaghan

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Leonard James Callaghan, Baron Callaghan of Cardiff (27 March 1912 – 26 March 2005) was a UK politician; Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (1976 -1979)

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We used to think that you could spend your way out of a recession and increase employment by cutting taxes and boosting government spending. I tell you in all candour that that option no longer exists, and in so far as it ever did exist, it only worked on each occasion since the war by injecting a bigger dose of inflation into the economy, followed by a higher level of unemployment as the next step.
- Speech at the Labour Party Conference, 28 September 1976. This part of his speech was written by his son-in-law, future BBC Economics correspondent Peter Jay. Source: Labour Party Annual Conference Report 1976, page 188.

A lie can be halfway round the world before the truth has got its boots on.
- Speech in the House of Commons, 1 November 1976; this is a paraphrase of Charles Spurgeon: "A lie travels round the world while truth is putting on her boots."

Meantime I say to both sides of industry, 'Please don't support us with general expressions of good will and kind words, and then undermine us through unjustified wage increases or price increases. Either back us or sack us.'
- Speech, Labour Party Conference, Brighton, 5 October 1977. Source: Labour Party Annual Conference Report 1977, page 217.

Well, that's a judgment that you are making. I promise you that if you look at it from outside, and perhaps you're taking rather a parochial view at the moment, I don't think that other people in the world would share the view that there is mounting chaos.
- Response to Evening Standard reporter's question "What is your general approach, in view of the mounting chaos in the country at the moment?", 10 January 1979; used to justify The Sun headline "Crisis? What Crisis?" on 11 January.