---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Laws protecting this right - whatever the…"
description: "\"Laws protecting this right - whatever the level of the minimum wage, and whatever the Government chooses to call it - are only as strong as the threat ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/558/emily-thornberry-6730_government_laws-protecting-this-right-whatever-the_1494040.jpg"
---

#  Laws protecting this right - whatever the level of the…

![“Laws protecting this right - whatever the level of the minimum wage, and whatever the Government chooses to call it - are only as strong as the threat of enforcement is both real and feared.” quote by Emily Thornberry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/558/emily-thornberry-6730_government_laws-protecting-this-right-whatever-the_1494040.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/558/emily-thornberry-6730_government_laws-protecting-this-right-whatever-the_1494040.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/558/emily-thornberry-6730_government_laws-protecting-this-right-whatever-the_1494040.jpg)

> “Laws protecting this right - whatever the level of the minimum wage, and whatever the Government chooses to call it - are only as strong as the threat of enforcement is both real and feared.”

[Emily Thornberry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-thornberry/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Rights are only as strong as enforcement and fear of consequences.

**In simple terms:** Enforcement gives rights power.

Key Takeaway

Strengthen enforcement mechanisms.

Themes

law rights enforcement

Mood

serious urgent

Type

political analytical

When to use this quote

- minimum wage legislation
- regulatory compliance
- civil liberties

Key Concepts

political science public policy

Questions to Reflect On

- How to ensure fair enforcement?
- What safeguards prevent abuse?

A Different Perspective

Fear can be manipulated, undermining trust.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Government](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/government/) [Minimum wage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/minimum-wage/)

## Related quotes

> [People will say 'how can you have a plane when your workers are on minimum wage?' I said 'but I don't set the minimum…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-ashley/people-will-say-how-can-you-have-a-plane-when-your-workers-are-on/)

[Mike Ashley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-ashley/)

> [“The limit of the law is the limit of enforcement—the real limit of organized society.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-herbert/the-limit-of-the-law-is-the-limit-of-enforcement-the-real-limit-of/)

[Frank Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-herbert/)

> [Now this brings me to my main topic - our military strength - more specifically, how to stay strong against threat from outside, without…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwight-d-eisenhower/now-this-brings-me-to-my-main-topic-our-military-strength-more/)

[Dwight D. Eisenhower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwight-d-eisenhower/)

> [“The right to vote is the foundation of our free society, and protecting that right is the single most important thing we can do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-rodham-clinton/the-right-to-vote-is-the-foundation-of-our-free-society-and/)

[Hillary Rodham Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-rodham-clinton/)

> [Success in confronting terrorism on the regional or international levels is contingent upon addressing its root causes and protecting the right of peoples under…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/farouk-of-egypt/success-in-confronting-terrorism-on-the-regional-or-international/)

Farouk of Egypt

> [When we talk about protecting our right to have guns, we are talking about protecting our right to shoot bullets. So what is it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-safran-foer/when-we-talk-about-protecting-our-right-to-have-guns-we-are-talking/)

[Jonathan Safran Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-safran-foer/)

> [Under the guise of protecting us from ourselves, the right and the left are becoming ever more aggressive in regulating behavior.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-mcgovern/under-the-guise-of-protecting-us-from-ourselves-the-right-and-the/)

[George McGovern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-mcgovern/)

> [In school to be a teacher, and there are so many things wrong with this world when it comes to laws protecting children.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/in-school-to-be-a-teacher-and-there-are-so-many-things-wrong-with/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [It is ordinarily said that criminal law is designed to protect property and to protect persons, and if society's only interest in controlling sex…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-kinsey/it-is-ordinarily-said-that-criminal-law-is-designed-to-protect/)

[Alfred Kinsey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-kinsey/)

> [I don't get how there's all the laws protecting children from adult content, then they open the paper and see a slag with her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-don-t-get-how-there-s-all-the-laws-protecting-children-from-adult/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Equal laws protecting equal rights…the best guarantee of loyalty and love of country.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-madison/equal-laws-protecting-equal-rights-the-best-guarantee-of-loyalty-and/)

[James Madison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-madison/)

> [In passing the National Minimum Wage Act in 1998, the then-Labour Government did more than just establish the legal right to a minimum wage,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-thornberry/in-passing-the-national-minimum-wage-act-in-1998-the-then-labour/)

[Emily Thornberry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-thornberry/)

> [A minimum wage leads to higher levels of unemployment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-hanke/a-minimum-wage-leads-to-higher-levels-of-unemployment/)

[Steve Hanke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-hanke/)

> [Now, California is a big state, we're a very diverse state, full of diverse communities with local variations in the cost of living and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-padilla/now-california-is-a-big-state-we-re-a-very-diverse-state-full-of/)

[Alex Padilla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-padilla/)

> [I want to break up the Wall Street banks. Hillary Clinton doesn't. I want to raise the minimum wage to 15 bucks an hour.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-sanders/i-want-to-break-up-the-wall-street-banks-hillary-clinton-doesn-t-i/)

[Bernie Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernie-sanders/)

## More by Emily Thornberry

> [The notion of women being written out of history is as old as the Bible, but it always seems more galling when it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-thornberry/the-notion-of-women-being-written-out-of-history-is-as-old-as-the/)

[Emily Thornberry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-thornberry/)

> [The Human Rights Act is not a terrorists' charter. It enables ordinary citizens to seek redress when the government breaches fundamental freedoms enshrined in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-thornberry/the-human-rights-act-is-not-a-terrorists-charter-it-enables-ordinary/)

[Emily Thornberry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-thornberry/)

> [The Fraud Act 2006 makes it perfectly clear that Libor rigging is prosecutable as a criminal offence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-thornberry/the-fraud-act-2006-makes-it-perfectly-clear-that-libor-rigging-is/)

[Emily Thornberry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-thornberry/)

> [Given that GPs are essentially a private part of our health care system, providing services independently of the rest of the health service, NHS…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-thornberry/given-that-gps-are-essentially-a-private-part-of-our-health-care/)

[Emily Thornberry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-thornberry/)

> [It's often been said that politics in Islington, in many ways, begins and ends with housing, and it's not hard to see why. Despite…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-thornberry/it-s-often-been-said-that-politics-in-islington-in-many-ways-begins/)

[Emily Thornberry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-thornberry/)

> [We have all these strong men in politics - whether it's Brazil, or the Philippines, or Trump, or Putin. They're all big men: it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-thornberry/we-have-all-these-strong-men-in-politics-whether-it-s-brazil-or-the/)

[Emily Thornberry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-thornberry/)

> [People don't seem to be safe inside Pentonville, and now it transpires inmates can escape. That is the final straw. If they don't have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-thornberry/people-don-t-seem-to-be-safe-inside-pentonville-and-now-it-transpires/)

[Emily Thornberry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-thornberry/)

> [White collar crime must be taken as seriously as any other crime.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-thornberry/white-collar-crime-must-be-taken-as-seriously-as-any-other-crime/)

[Emily Thornberry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-thornberry/)

> [The financial elite do not need special laws for themselves. This is one nation and there is one criminal law.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-thornberry/the-financial-elite-do-not-need-special-laws-for-themselves-this-is/)

[Emily Thornberry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-thornberry/)

> [When one party is really unpopular, like the Conservatives in 1997, AV can really skew the result disproportionately against them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-thornberry/when-one-party-is-really-unpopular-like-the-conservatives-in-1997-av/)

[Emily Thornberry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-thornberry/)

> [All the evidence shows that establishing the habit of voting as early as possible is a vital tool in making sure that it's maintained…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-thornberry/all-the-evidence-shows-that-establishing-the-habit-of-voting-as-early/)

[Emily Thornberry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-thornberry/)

> [There was a time when a certain type of Tory could have been relied on to swing from the chandeliers in defence of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-thornberry/there-was-a-time-when-a-certain-type-of-tory-could-have-been-relied/)

[Emily Thornberry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-thornberry/)

> [We need to build on our diplomatic networks, and the unrivalled expertise of our Foreign Office, to project a positive image for Britain as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-thornberry/we-need-to-build-on-our-diplomatic-networks-and-the-unrivalled/)

[Emily Thornberry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-thornberry/)

> [Carving out our own role, distinct from America's, might not be easy. But we must ask ourselves: what alternative is there? Unthinking, uncritical loyalty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-thornberry/carving-out-our-own-role-distinct-from-america-s-might-not-be-easy/)

[Emily Thornberry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-thornberry/)

> [Why the Tories are happy to subsidise home ownership for middle class graduates and affluent social tenants, but not for widows on low incomes,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-thornberry/why-the-tories-are-happy-to-subsidise-home-ownership-for-middle-class/)

[Emily Thornberry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-thornberry/)

[Explore all 98 Emily Thornberry quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-thornberry/)

## More Government quotes

> [We could form a government of national unity fighting corruption. The ordinary Afghan is sick and tired of it, because it's she or he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashraf-ghani/we-could-form-a-government-of-national-unity-fighting-corruption-the/)

[Ashraf Ghani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashraf-ghani/)

> [For the Scottish government, the practice of having meetings in different parts of the country is well established, but for the U.K. government, it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicola-sturgeon/for-the-scottish-government-the-practice-of-having-meetings-in/)

[Nicola Sturgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicola-sturgeon/)

> [“The global population of Earth are involved in the following corporate government experiments: The long term effects of - 1. Nuclear bomb fallout radiation.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/the-global-population-of-earth-are-involved-in-the-following/)

[Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/)

> [Philosopher is a dictator who modifies accepted standards with his thoughts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilkin-santak/philosopher-is-a-dictator-who-modifies-accepted-standards-with-his/)

[Ilkin Santak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilkin-santak/)

> [Right now we're concerned about budget. Right now we're concerned about the prospect of interest rate rise. We're concerned about government corruption, government handing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amity-shlaes/right-now-we-re-concerned-about-budget-right-now-we-re-concerned/)

[Amity Shlaes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amity-shlaes/)

> [One of the worst things to come out of the Consumer Protection Board's misleading claims is the impression that government resources are to hard…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-lesko/one-of-the-worst-things-to-come-out-of-the-consumer-protection-board/)

[Matthew Lesko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-lesko/)

> [It is afraid of an informed, angry public demanding the constitutional government it was promised - and it should be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-snowden/it-is-afraid-of-an-informed-angry-public-demanding-the-constitutional/)

[Edward Snowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-snowden/)

> [Louisiana's spicy, colorful politics have saddled our state with a reputation for tolerating lax ethical standards in government.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kennedy/louisiana-s-spicy-colorful-politics-have-saddled-our-state-with-a/)

[John Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kennedy/)

> [Government schools, with your tax money, now discourage the teaching of multiplication tables by rote memorization but teach reading by the 'look-and-say' method which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-perry/government-schools-with-your-tax-money-now-discourage-the-teaching-of/)

Greg Perry

> [It's easy to say, let's go in and get the bad guys. But you have a divided country of Sunnis and Shias. The United…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tulsi-gabbard/it-s-easy-to-say-let-s-go-in-and-get-the-bad-guys-but-you-have-a/)

[Tulsi Gabbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tulsi-gabbard/)

> [He is almost a statesman. He lies well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-bonaparte/he-is-almost-a-statesman-he-lies-well/)

[Napoleon Bonaparte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-bonaparte/)

> [If you believe in democracy, why shouldn't you know what the government is doing?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/if-you-believe-in-democracy-why-shouldn-t-you-know-what-the/)

[Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/)

> [I mean those people who are interested in good government will certainly contribute in order to make certain there's some counter-balance to those whose…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-breyer/i-mean-those-people-who-are-interested-in-good-government-will/)

[Stephen Breyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-breyer/)

> [We can't have a government that will collapse in three months.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-varadkar/we-can-t-have-a-government-that-will-collapse-in-three-months/)

[Leo Varadkar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-varadkar/)

> [Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between man and his God, that he owes account to none other for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/believing-with-you-that-religion-is-a-matter-which-lies-solely/)

[Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/)

[Browse all 21,248 Government quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/government/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Laws protecting this right - whatever the level of the minimum wage, and whatever the Government chooses to call it - are only as strong as the threat of enforcement is both real and feared.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Emily Thornberry"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-thornberry/laws-protecting-this-right-whatever-the-level-of-the-minimum-wage-and/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Government"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-thornberry/laws-protecting-this-right-whatever-the-level-of-the-minimum-wage-and/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/558/emily-thornberry-6730_government_laws-protecting-this-right-whatever-the_1494040.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/558/emily-thornberry-6730_government_laws-protecting-this-right-whatever-the_1494040.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/558/emily-thornberry-6730_government_laws-protecting-this-right-whatever-the_1494040.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Laws protecting this right - whatever the level of the minimum wage, and whatever the Government chooses to…” — Emily Thornberry",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Emily Thornberry",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-thornberry/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Laws protecting this right - whatever...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-thornberry/laws-protecting-this-right-whatever-the-level-of-the-minimum-wage-and/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-thornberry/laws-protecting-this-right-whatever-the-level-of-the-minimum-wage-and/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
