| Behind-the-scenes man |
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| "Actually, Mr Maclean is a behind-the-scenes man and isn't much used to the dispatch box so the gibe was all the more cruel for being kind." |
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| Simon Carr, 'The Sketch: If crime is down by a third, how can it still be rampant?' - 26 November 2004 |
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| Friend of beggars? |
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| “Very strong views on law and order, once hitting headlines with claim that only thing he would give a beggar was "piece of my mind".” |
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| Herald newspaper - 11 November 2003 |
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| Maverick |
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| “He cultivates a slightly maverick reputation. When he joined the Home Office, colleagues lobbied him to impose a ban on smoking (cigar-smoking Ken Clarke having gone to the Treasury). He was outraged and took up smoking menthol cigarettes.” |
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| Daily Telegraph - 24 January 2003 |
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| Hipster |
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| “in successive Ministerial jobs…he has enraged civil servants and embarrassed Ministerial colleagues because he has sought to make a virtue out of shooting from the hip” |
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| Peter Hetherington, The Guardian |
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| Kill the Witch! |
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| "he never quite allays the suspicion that, as a mediaeval Minister for Witch Extermination, Mr Maclean would be expert in his enthusiasm for the ducking stool” |
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| Matthew Parris, The Times |
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| Abrasive |
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| “he has an eager combative spirit and the usual pin-striped confidence of an abrasive Scots lawyer” |
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| Almanac of British Politics |
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| And finally... |
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| "There's a lot more where these quotes came from, but in case we don't find them and you know a quote about David Maclean or want to add your own words of wisdom to this section of the site, just get in touch by going to our contacts page." |
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| Unattributed - 28 March 2005 |
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