--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The Prime Minister, a specialist in…" description: "\"The Prime Minister, a specialist in calling in the locksmith after the horses had fled - the whole herd in fact - and the barn in ruins, ended the week..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/07c/rex-murphy-55739_asks_the-prime-minister-a-specialist-in-calli_2791052.jpg" --- # The Prime Minister, a specialist in calling in the… ![“The Prime Minister, a specialist in calling in the locksmith after the horses had fled - the whole herd in fact - and the barn in ruins, ended the week with a great raft of ethics proposals for cabinet, leadership candidates, backbenchers and lobbyists. I think it is more than fair to ask: Why…” quote by Rex Murphy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/07c/rex-murphy-55739_asks_the-prime-minister-a-specialist-in-calli_2791052.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/07c/rex-murphy-55739_asks_the-prime-minister-a-specialist-in-calli_2791052.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/07c/rex-murphy-55739_asks_the-prime-minister-a-specialist-in-calli_2791052.jpg) > “The Prime Minister, a specialist in calling in the locksmith after the horses had fled - the whole herd in fact - and the barn in ruins, ended the week with a great raft of ethics proposals for cabinet, leadership candidates, backbenchers and lobbyists. I think it is more than fair to ask: Why wait for the middle of his third term to institute what the public would have welcomed at the beginning of his first?” [Rex Murphy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rex-murphy/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Criticizes delayed ethical reforms, urging early action rather than waiting for later terms. **In simple terms:** Delay in ethics reforms is unfair. Key Takeaway Advocate early ethical policies. Themes politics ethics leadership Mood critical provocative Type political commentary When to use this quote - legislative drafting - campaign promises - public accountability - NGO advocacy Key Concepts public policy governance Questions to Reflect On - Why do leaders postpone reforms? - How can citizens demand earlier action? A Different Perspective Political inertia often stalls reforms. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Asks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/asks/) [Backbenchers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/backbenchers-13863/) [Barns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/barns/) [Cabinets](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cabinets/) [Calling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/calling/) [Candidates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/candidates/) [Ended Week](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ended-week-2598870/) [Ethics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ethics/) [Facts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/facts/) [Fairs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fairs/) [Firsts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/firsts/) [Herds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/herds/) [Horse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/horse/) [Institute](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/institute/) [Leadership](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/leadership/) [Lobbyists](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lobbyists/) [Lobbyists Think](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lobbyists-think-2058270/) [Middle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/middle/) [Ministers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ministers/) [Parliament](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parliament/) [Philosophy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philosophy/) [Prime](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prime/) [Prime minister](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prime-minister/) [Proposal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/proposal/) [Proposals Cabinet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/proposals-cabinet-3380072/) [Ruins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ruins/) [Specialists](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/specialists/) [Term](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/term/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Thirds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thirds/) [Waiting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/waiting/) [Week](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/week/) [Whole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/whole/) ## Related quotes > [When I go up there, I see coal lobbyists, oil lobbyists, natural gas lobbyists, nuclear power lobbyists, somehow they think that's where the action…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-nader/when-i-go-up-there-i-see-coal-lobbyists-oil-lobbyists-natural-gas/) [Ralph Nader](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-nader/) > [I couldn't really see the point of having lunch unless it started at 1:00 and ended a week later in Monte Carlo.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-smith/i-couldn-t-really-see-the-point-of-having-lunch-unless-it-started-at/) [Arthur Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-smith/) > [If there was a university degree for greed, you cunts would all get first-class honours.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-keating/if-there-was-a-university-degree-for-greed-you-cunts-would-all-get/) [Paul Keating](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-keating/) > [I have never believed in the Wizard of Oz theory of consulting, that I am all-knowing and all-seeing, and that everyone around me is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-axelrod/i-have-never-believed-in-the-wizard-of-oz-theory-of-consulting-that-i/) [David Axelrod](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-axelrod/) > [...a Conservative backbencher called Margaret Thatcher managed, despite front bench opposition, to get enacted her Public Bodies (Admission to Meetings) Act 1960, which was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clive-ponting/a-conservative-backbencher-called-margaret-thatcher-managed-despite/) [Clive Ponting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clive-ponting/) > [Chancellors have long been known to keep one last trick up their sleeves on Budget Day so that, at the end of a long,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-hartley-brewer/chancellors-have-long-been-known-to-keep-one-last-trick-up-their/) [Julia Hartley-Brewer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-hartley-brewer/) > [I wasn't the brightest kid in school. I was a backbencher troubling the frontbencher, and eventually I failed in my 10th grade. But then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shiv-khera/i-wasn-t-the-brightest-kid-in-school-i-was-a-backbencher-troubling/) [Shiv Khera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shiv-khera/) > [The first slap-jack given me for dinner was a cake of flour, partially fried in a pan of fat bacon. I nibbled about the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-smith/the-first-slap-jack-given-me-for-dinner-was-a-cake-of-flour-partially/) [James Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-smith/) > [Were you raised in a barn? You don't just walk into someone's house." Ash laughed. "I have an open invitation to enter whenever I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherrilyn-kenyon/were-you-raised-in-a-barn-you-don-t-just-walk-into-someone-s-house/) [Sherrilyn Kenyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherrilyn-kenyon/) > [Just because two of the people in this barn have decided to spend their lives together doesn't mean the rest of us are obligated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-ryan/just-because-two-of-the-people-in-this-barn-have-decided-to-spend/) [Sara Ryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-ryan/) > [Do I enjoy features? Yeah, I really do. Would I like to do some more features before I head to the barn? Yeah, probably.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/do-i-enjoy-features-yeah-i-really-do-would-i-like-to-do-some-more/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [A lot of people approach their barn or horse like they are going to war, because it's been going badly. So you pick up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cindy-meehl/a-lot-of-people-approach-their-barn-or-horse-like-they-are-going-to/) [Cindy Meehl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cindy-meehl/) > [You need to have a home to go back to, whether it's a hotel room or a barn. It's only home when he's there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/genevieve-gorder/you-need-to-have-a-home-to-go-back-to-whether-it-s-a-hotel-room-or-a/) [Genevieve Gorder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/genevieve-gorder/) > [My father kept me busy from dawn to dusk when I was a kid. When I wasn't pitching hay, hauling corn or running a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-feller/my-father-kept-me-busy-from-dawn-to-dusk-when-i-was-a-kid-when-i-wasn/) [Bob Feller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-feller/) > [I assume my stance, and take back the club, low, slowly; at the top, my eyes fog over, and my joints dip and swirl…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/i-assume-my-stance-and-take-back-the-club-low-slowly-at-the-top-my/) [John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/) ## More by Rex Murphy > [Not every article in every magazine or newspaper is meant to be a valentine card addressed to every reader's self-esteem.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rex-murphy/not-every-article-in-every-magazine-or-newspaper-is-meant-to-be-a/) [Rex Murphy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rex-murphy/) > [Stay away from philosophy, kids: it will ruin your mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rex-murphy/stay-away-from-philosophy-kids-it-will-ruin-your-mind/) [Rex Murphy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rex-murphy/) > [Everything written, if it has anything in it, will offend someone, and if the mere taking of offence was to amount to a licence…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rex-murphy/everything-written-if-it-has-anything-in-it-will-offend-someone-and/) [Rex Murphy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rex-murphy/) > [Shania Twain ... has done more for country and western than heartbreak and whiskey combined.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rex-murphy/shania-twain-has-done-more-for-country-and-western-than-heartbreak/) [Rex Murphy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rex-murphy/) > [Hollywood is a narcotic, not a stimulant. It wants to sell you something. Literature wants to tell you something.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rex-murphy/hollywood-is-a-narcotic-not-a-stimulant-it-wants-to-sell-you/) [Rex Murphy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rex-murphy/) [Explore all 6 Rex Murphy quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rex-murphy/) ## More Asks quotes > [If you ask an introvert a question, wait until she thinks about it. Introverts think before speaking, not through speaking. If you want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-helgoe/if-you-ask-an-introvert-a-question-wait-until-she-thinks-about-it/) [Laurie Helgoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-helgoe/) > [I don't wear a watch because I want my arms to weigh the same. So if somebody asks me what time it is, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-hedberg/i-don-t-wear-a-watch-because-i-want-my-arms-to-weigh-the-same-so-if/) [Mitch Hedberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-hedberg/) > [I am a practicing Catholic, but my lineage is Jewish, so if someone asks me if I'm Jewish, I say yes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neve-campbell/i-am-a-practicing-catholic-but-my-lineage-is-jewish-so-if-someone/) [Neve Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neve-campbell/) > [Freedom in every sense but primarily political sense, a rise in repression that stems from a repression of sexuality. It's AIDS, it's herpes, it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-nicholson/freedom-in-every-sense-but-primarily-political-sense-a-rise-in/) [Jack Nicholson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-nicholson/) > [Why did Erich von Stronheim leave Germany? Why did Hitchcock leave England? If you were a director you'd like to work in Hollywood too.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roman-polanski/why-did-erich-von-stronheim-leave-germany-why-did-hitchcock-leave/) [Roman Polanski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roman-polanski/) > [There is nothing more I ask of this life than this moment, exactly so. And suddenly forever seems like too short a time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-andreas/there-is-nothing-more-i-ask-of-this-life-than-this-moment-exactly-so/) [Brian Andreas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-andreas/) > [Success will come when the societal attitude changes and not a single woman in America asks herself the question 'What did I do?'.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-biden/success-will-come-when-the-societal-attitude-changes-and-not-a-single/) [Joe Biden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-biden/) > [The most fundamental question we can ever ask ourselves is whether or not the universe we live in is friendly or hostile.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/the-most-fundamental-question-we-can-ever-ask-ourselves-is-whether-or/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [The rich people are apparently leaving America. They're giving up their citizenship. These great lovers of America who made their money in this country-when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-sanders/the-rich-people-are-apparently-leaving-america-they-re-giving-up/) [Bernie Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernie-sanders/) > [There is a way to be a woman, ask for what we deserve and be able to negotiate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracee-ellis-ross/there-is-a-way-to-be-a-woman-ask-for-what-we-deserve-and-be-able-to/) [Tracee Ellis Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracee-ellis-ross/) > [For someone to ask 'Who did you play for' and to be able to answer a single name 'Liverpool' that would be brilliant...I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-carragher/for-someone-to-ask-who-did-you-play-for-and-to-be-able-to-answer-a/) [Jamie Carragher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-carragher/) > [I have no hesitation in saying that although the American woman never leaves her domestic sphere and is in some respects very dependent within…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-de-tocqueville/i-have-no-hesitation-in-saying-that-although-the-american-woman-never/) [Alexis de Tocqueville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-de-tocqueville/) > [Ask God for temp'rance. That's th' appliance only Which your disease requires.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/ask-god-for-temp-rance-that-s-th-appliance-only-which-your-disease/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [I don't know how to say it exactly. Only...I want to die as myself. Does that make any sense?' he asks. I shake my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-collins/i-don-t-know-how-to-say-it-exactly-only-i-want-to-die-as-myself-does/) [Suzanne Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-collins/) > [Physicist Isador Isaac Rabi, who won a Nobel Prize for inventing a technique that permitted scientists to probe the structure of atoms and molecules…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-saul-wurman/physicist-isador-isaac-rabi-who-won-a-nobel-prize-for-inventing-a/) [Richard Saul Wurman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-saul-wurman/) [Browse all 7,138 Asks quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/asks/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The Prime Minister, a specialist in calling in the locksmith after the horses had fled - the whole herd in fact - and the barn in ruins, ended the week with a great raft of ethics proposals for cabinet, leadership candidates, backbenchers and lobbyists. 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