"So there's always been this clash between what is the public good - that which belongs to all of us in common - and what can be exploited for a private interest"
About this Quote
Abercrombie frames politics as a permanent knife fight over ownership: not just of land or money, but of the very idea of “we.” The line’s power is how calmly it naturalizes conflict. “Always been this clash” shrugs at scandal and insists the real story is structural, older than any single bill, developer, or election cycle. That’s classic politician’s rhetoric when you want to move blame from personalities to incentives while still pointing a finger.
His key move is definitional. “Public good” gets a quick, almost textbook gloss - “belongs to all of us in common” - which sounds neutral but is a moral claim dressed as civics. It implies shared assets (parks, water, beaches, infrastructure, schools, even clean air) are not just services but inheritances. Against that, “exploited for a private interest” is deliberately loaded: not “used,” not “developed,” but “exploited,” a verb that presumes extraction and imbalance. Private gain is cast as parasitic on a commons that can’t defend itself.
The subtext is a warning about the quiet mechanics of privatization: lobbying, zoning, contracting, regulatory carve-outs, fees, and “public-private partnerships” that rebrand transfer as efficiency. It also signals a coalition pitch. By saying “all of us,” Abercrombie invites citizens to see themselves as stakeholders, not customers, and to suspect that when someone promises prosperity, the bill may arrive in the form of diminished access, higher costs, or lost control.
Contextually, it fits the pressure points of governance in places where land and resources are finite and politically combustible: growth versus preservation, tourism and real estate versus local needs, short-term revenue versus long-term stewardship.
His key move is definitional. “Public good” gets a quick, almost textbook gloss - “belongs to all of us in common” - which sounds neutral but is a moral claim dressed as civics. It implies shared assets (parks, water, beaches, infrastructure, schools, even clean air) are not just services but inheritances. Against that, “exploited for a private interest” is deliberately loaded: not “used,” not “developed,” but “exploited,” a verb that presumes extraction and imbalance. Private gain is cast as parasitic on a commons that can’t defend itself.
The subtext is a warning about the quiet mechanics of privatization: lobbying, zoning, contracting, regulatory carve-outs, fees, and “public-private partnerships” that rebrand transfer as efficiency. It also signals a coalition pitch. By saying “all of us,” Abercrombie invites citizens to see themselves as stakeholders, not customers, and to suspect that when someone promises prosperity, the bill may arrive in the form of diminished access, higher costs, or lost control.
Contextually, it fits the pressure points of governance in places where land and resources are finite and politically combustible: growth versus preservation, tourism and real estate versus local needs, short-term revenue versus long-term stewardship.
Quote Details
| Topic | Justice |
|---|
More Quotes by Neil
Add to List
