--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Governments are supposed to operate under…" description: "\"Governments are supposed to operate under a system of collective responsibility. It means that in public, all Ministers support the agreed policies of ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4d3/damian-green-4883_collective-responsib_governments-are-supposed-to-operate-unde_3084057.png" --- # Governments are supposed to operate under a system of… ![“Governments are supposed to operate under a system of collective responsibility. It means that in public, all Ministers support the agreed policies of the Government, and each other.” quote by Damian Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4d3/damian-green-4883_collective-responsib_governments-are-supposed-to-operate-unde_3084057.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4d3/damian-green-4883_collective-responsib_governments-are-supposed-to-operate-unde_3084057.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4d3/damian-green-4883_collective-responsib_governments-are-supposed-to-operate-unde_3084057.png) > “Governments are supposed to operate under a system of collective responsibility. It means that in public, all Ministers support the agreed policies of the Government, and each other.” [Damian Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/damian-green/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Collective responsibility requires ministers to publicly back all government policies and each other, ensuring unified front. **In simple terms:** Ministers must support all policies together. Key Takeaway Support policies publicly. Themes government politics unity Mood serious formal Type political institutional When to use this quote - cabinet meetings - public statements - policy debates Key Concepts accountability solidarity Questions to Reflect On - How does collective responsibility affect policy criticism? - What are the risks of forced unanimity? A Different Perspective May suppress dissenting views. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Collective responsibility](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/collective-responsibility/) [Government](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/government/) [Governments](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/governments/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) [Responsibility](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/responsibility/) [Support](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/support/) ## Related quotes > [Governments are supposed to lie to their citizens.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/governments-are-supposed-to-lie-to-their-citizens/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [In Iran, people are free to express their views. Every day, some people criticize the policies of the government.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahmoud-ahmadinejad/in-iran-people-are-free-to-express-their-views-every-day-some-people/) [Mahmoud Ahmadinejad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahmoud-ahmadinejad/) > [Democracy is a form of government that cannot long survive, for as soon as the people learn that they have a voice in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-marx/democracy-is-a-form-of-government-that-cannot-long-survive-for-as/) [Karl Marx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-marx/) > [Iran is a rich country, and if the people of this country are poor, it's because of the wrong policies of the government.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirin-ebadi/iran-is-a-rich-country-and-if-the-people-of-this-country-are-poor-it/) [Shirin Ebadi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirin-ebadi/) > [Based on observations of the policies of my own government, I viewed this action as an acceptable option.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-mcveigh/based-on-observations-of-the-policies-of-my-own-government-i-viewed/) [Timothy McVeigh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-mcveigh/) > [That the policies - from energy to labor policies, trade policies, government policies relating to debt and deficits are all aligning in such a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitt-romney/that-the-policies-from-energy-to-labor-policies-trade-policies/) [Mitt Romney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitt-romney/) > [As a CEO of a large company, clearly we need policies in the U.S. government that are pro-business, because at the end of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/indra-nooyi/as-a-ceo-of-a-large-company-clearly-we-need-policies-in-the-u-s/) [Indra Nooyi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/indra-nooyi/) > [“Government is a contrivance of human wisdom to provide for human wants," wrote Edmund Burke in his Reflections on the Revolution in France. In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-stone/government-is-a-contrivance-of-human-wisdom-to-provide-for-human/) Deborah Stone > [Our fortunes rise together, and they fall together. 'All men are brothers,' said the Analects. We have a collective responsibility-to bring about a more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-lagarde/our-fortunes-rise-together-and-they-fall-together-all-men-are/) [Christine Lagarde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christine-lagarde/) > [A citizen of the Roman Empire, for example, would have placed less value on individual liberty in the modern Western sense than on collective…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-baxter/a-citizen-of-the-roman-empire-for-example-would-have-placed-less/) [Stephen Baxter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-baxter/) > [“Still, among the critics of the concept of collective guilt, Bultmann was one of the few who spoke of a collective responsibility of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hammann-konrad/still-among-the-critics-of-the-concept-of-collective-guilt-bultmann/) [Hammann Konrad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hammann-konrad/) > [Bodily pain affects man as a whole down to the deepest layers of his moral being. It forces him to face again the fundamental…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-pius-xii/bodily-pain-affects-man-as-a-whole-down-to-the-deepest-layers-of-his/) [Pope Pius XII](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-pius-xii/) > [Today's message to Baghdad is very clear: the UN Security Council resolution expresses the unity and determination of the entire international community to assume…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/javier-solana/today-s-message-to-baghdad-is-very-clear-the-un-security-council/) [Javier Solana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/javier-solana/) > [“In politics, the pen is at its heaviest because it is weighed down by the collective responsibility it holds towards its people and their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aysha-taryam/in-politics-the-pen-is-at-its-heaviest-because-it-is-weighed-down-by/) [Aysha Taryam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aysha-taryam/) > [“He has read whole volumes on the philosophy of nonviolence. How peace had to be understood in all its moral dimensions. The proper coexistence…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colum-mccann/he-has-read-whole-volumes-on-the-philosophy-of-nonviolence-how-peace/) [Colum McCann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colum-mccann/) ## More by Damian Green > [Few political debates have been as divisive as the European one. I fought as hard as I could on the Remain side, but I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/damian-green/few-political-debates-have-been-as-divisive-as-the-european-one-i/) [Damian Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/damian-green/) > [If we don't like modern Britain, then it is very unlikely that modern Britain will like us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/damian-green/if-we-don-t-like-modern-britain-then-it-is-very-unlikely-that-modern/) [Damian Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/damian-green/) > [If we dismiss childcare or work-life balance as soft, or Labour issues, then we dismiss the main concerns of millions of people, especially women.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/damian-green/if-we-dismiss-childcare-or-work-life-balance-as-soft-or-labour-issues/) [Damian Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/damian-green/) > [We have to consider who is going to be the best prime minister to take on a "one nation" agenda.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/damian-green/we-have-to-consider-who-is-going-to-be-the-best-prime-minister-to/) [Damian Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/damian-green/) > [Without the U.K. contribution to policing and anti-terrorism, the whole of Europe would be less safe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/damian-green/without-the-u-k-contribution-to-policing-and-anti-terrorism-the-whole/) [Damian Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/damian-green/) > [There are certain practices that may be historically acceptable to some people but that have no place in our culture.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/damian-green/there-are-certain-practices-that-may-be-historically-acceptable-to/) [Damian Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/damian-green/) > [The Conservatives must never give the impression we exclude any group of British citizens.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/damian-green/the-conservatives-must-never-give-the-impression-we-exclude-any-group/) [Damian Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/damian-green/) > [Neither Left nor Right has a monopoly of virtue when it comes to smearing opponents.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/damian-green/neither-left-nor-right-has-a-monopoly-of-virtue-when-it-comes-to/) [Damian Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/damian-green/) > [Abolishing university tuition fees and getting rid of unnecessary speed cameras are ideas that can be grasped instantly, and grab the attention of those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/damian-green/abolishing-university-tuition-fees-and-getting-rid-of-unnecessary/) [Damian Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/damian-green/) > [Having ground my teeth at educational theorists who say Shakespeare is irrelevant to inner-city children, I was overjoyed to be there when a class…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/damian-green/having-ground-my-teeth-at-educational-theorists-who-say-shakespeare/) [Damian Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/damian-green/) > [The generosity of spirit that is usually shown by advanced democracies disappears when the public feel two things: that their government is not in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/damian-green/the-generosity-of-spirit-that-is-usually-shown-by-advanced/) [Damian Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/damian-green/) > [From online local care portals to greater use of personal budgets we need wholesale change if we are to move the social care system…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/damian-green/from-online-local-care-portals-to-greater-use-of-personal-budgets-we/) [Damian Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/damian-green/) > [Around the world, including in the U.K., a version of Right-wing politics is growing that is based on dividing societies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/damian-green/around-the-world-including-in-the-u-k-a-version-of-right-wing/) [Damian Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/damian-green/) > [Throughout the coronavirus pandemic, there has been suffering and hardship on both sides of the generational divide.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/damian-green/throughout-the-coronavirus-pandemic-there-has-been-suffering-and/) [Damian Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/damian-green/) > [I think there should be a major cut in the power of government to interfere in the day-to-day running of our schools. I want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/damian-green/i-think-there-should-be-a-major-cut-in-the-power-of-government-to/) [Damian Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/damian-green/) [Explore all 105 Damian Green quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/damian-green/) ## More Collective responsibility quotes > [“He has read whole volumes on the philosophy of nonviolence. How peace had to be understood in all its moral dimensions. The proper coexistence…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colum-mccann/he-has-read-whole-volumes-on-the-philosophy-of-nonviolence-how-peace/) [Colum McCann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colum-mccann/) > [“In politics, the pen is at its heaviest because it is weighed down by the collective responsibility it holds towards its people and their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aysha-taryam/in-politics-the-pen-is-at-its-heaviest-because-it-is-weighed-down-by/) [Aysha Taryam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aysha-taryam/) > [Today's message to Baghdad is very clear: the UN Security Council resolution expresses the unity and determination of the entire international community to assume…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/javier-solana/today-s-message-to-baghdad-is-very-clear-the-un-security-council/) [Javier Solana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/javier-solana/) > [Bodily pain affects man as a whole down to the deepest layers of his moral being. It forces him to face again the fundamental…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-pius-xii/bodily-pain-affects-man-as-a-whole-down-to-the-deepest-layers-of-his/) [Pope Pius XII](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-pius-xii/) > [“Still, among the critics of the concept of collective guilt, Bultmann was one of the few who spoke of a collective responsibility of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hammann-konrad/still-among-the-critics-of-the-concept-of-collective-guilt-bultmann/) [Hammann Konrad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hammann-konrad/) > [A citizen of the Roman Empire, for example, would have placed less value on individual liberty in the modern Western sense than on collective…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-baxter/a-citizen-of-the-roman-empire-for-example-would-have-placed-less/) [Stephen Baxter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-baxter/) > [Our fortunes rise together, and they fall together. 'All men are brothers,' said the Analects. We have a collective responsibility-to bring about a more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-lagarde/our-fortunes-rise-together-and-they-fall-together-all-men-are/) [Christine Lagarde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christine-lagarde/) > [“Government is a contrivance of human wisdom to provide for human wants," wrote Edmund Burke in his Reflections on the Revolution in France. In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-stone/government-is-a-contrivance-of-human-wisdom-to-provide-for-human/) Deborah Stone > [Inevitably, the role of being a backbench Member of Parliament is completely different from being a minister bound by collective responsibility.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicky-morgan/inevitably-the-role-of-being-a-backbench-member-of-parliament-is/) [Nicky Morgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicky-morgan/) > [If you are making policies through speeches that are contradicting some of the policy development your colleagues are embarked on, you are destroying collective…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dominic-grieve/if-you-are-making-policies-through-speeches-that-are-contradicting/) [Dominic Grieve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dominic-grieve/) > [As elected leaders, it is our collective responsibility to set standards of respect and elevate understanding between the communities we represent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-phillips/as-elected-leaders-it-is-our-collective-responsibility-to-set/) [Dean Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-phillips/) > [We have a collective responsibility to do everything we can to make sure that everyone feels that the workplace is a safe and equal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/channing-dungey/we-have-a-collective-responsibility-to-do-everything-we-can-to-make/) [Channing Dungey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/channing-dungey/) > [Our interests are indeed common European interests, and the only way to serve them is by common means. That is why all Europeans, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/federica-mogherini/our-interests-are-indeed-common-european-interests-and-the-only-way/) [Federica Mogherini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/federica-mogherini/) > [I once gave a workshop and I asked the women poets there, If you went back to that little town you've come from -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eavan-boland/i-once-gave-a-workshop-and-i-asked-the-women-poets-there-if-you-went/) [Eavan Boland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eavan-boland/) > [Cabinet government rests on the principle of collective responsibility: Ministers debate and argue in private but then hammer out a common policy which they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lidington/cabinet-government-rests-on-the-principle-of-collective/) [David Lidington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lidington/) [Browse all 43 Collective responsibility quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/collective-responsibility/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Governments are supposed to operate under a system of collective responsibility. 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