Jump to content

Politicians that speak well and with gravitas - even if you don't like their policies


Recommended Posts

Just watching Gove on the beeb today, he speaks well, doesn't get side tracked or flustered, makes his simple point. Can't stand the bloke, but can't knock his public speaking. Two more are Reece Mogg and Zahawi, again don't like their policies etc. Very much bucks the trend with this government, and much of their waffle and gesture politics.


Put your prejudices to one side and Starmer - ruined at times as he needs to get in some populist stuff in or like the PM doesn't answer the question. Nandy tends to butt in too much and rather too passionate, noting that of all people Cummings rates her, and perhaps lightweight. Rayner, again let down by her politics. It's good to have some old school back - Millband (albeit I find his general tone a bit irritating, and probably contributed to him failing at the General Election as this and some of his policies was easy to pick off by the right wing press) and Yvette Cooper.


I was at an event a few years ago where Abbott gave a really shallow speech. She had been preceded by this wonderful presentation, and a few years later I remembered it was by the then Leader of the Opposition a certain Mr Corbyn.


Anyway this is about those that speak well, rather than those who are dreadful - PM, Patel, and many of the opposition.


Two more are Sturgeon, and Blackford.


Of course all put in the shadow by some of the officials during Covid, probably most people's fave is Van Tam.

malumbu Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Just watching Gove on the beeb today, he speaks

> well, doesn't get side tracked or flustered, makes

> his simple point. Can't stand the bloke, but can't

> knock his public speaking. Two more are Reece

> Mogg and Zahawi, again don't like their policies

> etc. Very much bucks the trend with this

> government, and much of their waffle and gesture

> politics.

>

> Put your prejudices to one side and Starmer -

> ruined at times as he needs to get in some

> populist stuff in or like the PM doesn't answer

> the question. Nandy tends to butt in too much and

> rather too passionate, noting that of all people

> Cummings rates her, and perhaps lightweight.

> Rayner, again let down by her politics. It's good

> to have some old school back - Millband (albeit I

> find his general tone a bit irritating, and

> probably contributed to him failing at the General

> Election as this and some of his policies was easy

> to pick off by the right wing press) and Yvette

> Cooper.

>

> I was at an event a few years ago where Abbott

> gave a really shallow speech. She had been

> preceded by this wonderful presentation, and a few

> years later I remembered it was by the then Leader

> of the Opposition a certain Mr Corbyn.

>

> Anyway this is about those that speak well, rather

> than those who are dreadful - PM, Patel, and many

> of the opposition.

>

> Two more are Sturgeon, and Blackford.

>

> Of course all put in the shadow by some of the

> officials during Covid, probably most people's

> fave is Van Tam.



What planet are you on? Give is a utter lying hypocritical pile of shite

but that was not what this is about, it is about what he's like as a speaker and bearing in mind his upbringing which was hard, he's done well for himself, so to call him "a utter lying hypocritical pile of shite" is at the very least unjustified.

What this country needs is a lot more substance over style


Instead we have a nation of forelock-tuggers happy to go along with all kinds of dangerous nonsense if the person sounds good


I genuinely don?t care either way If someone has done well for themselves. I care when people do well for the country. And gove (to take this example) has done very badly for the country


Not as badly as his rival/boss. Another criminal who the country took a shine to because of the way he speaks.

Interesting topic.


I think most people will struggle with being able to seperate out and isolate out this one characteristic from their overall view of a politican. Another feature of the all or nothing/ tribal type way that public debate has gone.


But it is indeed possible....probably the most powerful example I can think of is Adolff Hitler. Its pretty hard to argue that he wasnt a highly skilled orator....

Sephiroth Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> What this country needs is a lot more substance

> over style

>

> Instead we have a nation of forelock-tuggers happy

> to go along with all kinds of dangerous nonsense

> if the person sounds good

>

> I genuinely don?t care either way If someone has

> done well for themselves. I care when people do

> well for the country. And gove (to take this

> example) has done very badly for the country

>

> Not as badly as his rival/boss. Another criminal

> who the country took a shine to because of the way

> he speaks.



Yep.

Not a politician but I remember once hearing Vanessa Feltz on the radio and she spoke amazingly - went of on several tangents but not an 'um' or 'er' anywhere and the whole thing was coherent when it could easily have been a mess.


Anyway - also not a politician, though an ex- politician - Rory Stewart.


Re Gove, I'm going to salute him for his current work in getting responsibility for the cladding scandal away from tenant and hone-owners and where it should be.

Feltz. A good example of someone who people seem to like because she speaks well but by many accounts is a horrendous individual. You can find many accusations of bullying online - I had cause to interact with her twice and whilst only anecdotal can vouch for deep unpleasantness


So who cares if she speaks well or not?

*Sephiroth* - you?ve answered your own question - because good communication skills are really important. Good people may not be heard because they don?t have these skills.


I know nothing about Vanessa Feltz, and I never said I liked her. I simply commented on her speaking.


I don?t think you really understand the point of this thread.

I get the purpose of the thread. But yes I do consider it a pointless question


Bad people being good at comms should make us wary, not something to admire


And despite people saying ?I disagree with them? the admiration is showing through

I've no idea if Hitler was a great speaker as I've only ever seen snippets from newsreels/documentaries etc, plus I don't speak German so I've also no idea of what he was actually saying let alone the context.


Instead I think his success was more to do with his exploitation of visual communication/propaganda, especially film which was still a relatively new medium, not dissimilar to Putin's exploitation of social media in his disinformation war with the West since 2016. Dictators are clever in that respect.


Hitler's speeches would've played some part, but his rallies were highly organised and choreographed events with the visual in mind e.g. the torch-lit processions, the Nazi insignia/flags etc, to such an extent that he even had his own film-maker to pre-plan them all. He also used architecture, in his case grandiose classical buildings in direct opposition to the new international style of Modernism which was seen as 'Socialist'. He even used fashion designer Boss to sex-up the uniforms (Star Wars is basically WW2 in space).


He may have been a failed artist but he obviously understood the power of visual communication...

Back on topic - good diction and effective communication does not have to have anything to do with accent. Some native speakers I know are not a patch on those with English as a second language, who have taken more care in understanding and being understood.

Spartacus Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Sooty

>

> Although Matthew Corbett had to translate for the

> masses


To be fair on Sooty, if Matthew Corbett shoved his hand up your backside you'd need a translator...

  • 2 months later...

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
  • Latest Discussions

    • Well that says it all really, communism is well and truly alive in ED then.  Perhaps that's why he got thrown out of his own Party.  on no they didn't.......................................... Try taking off the blinkers.  Rockets has hit the nail bang on the head. Sense has been spoken. 
    • Really like this place. Good food, reasonable price and super friendly
    • Excuse me? Are you the forum police or just a nosy parker? For your information me and my kids were almost hit by a crazy black boy heading that way on a bike that day so I wondered if it was the same youth. It was upsetting, we could have been seriously hurt. In future wind in your neck before judging people. As I said when you stuck your nose in with unfounded implication and suspicion before, mixed race woman posting here and I bet £100 you are a bourgeois native Brit who obsessively sees race in everything at the expence of practicality (being able to identify potential criminals by describing their physical appearance). If your socialist utopia isn't going to plan don't blame the messenger. 
    • 🛁 Bastek Interiors – Bathrooms & Interior Fix-Ups Without the Fuss 🔧 Local, tidy and the kind of person who brings his own hoover.   Hi neighbours 👋 I’m Sebastian, a Brockley-based tradesman and the guy behind Bastek Interiors. I specialise in bathroom makeovers and interior renovations – done properly, with care and attention to the details that matter. (And yes, I bring my own hoover.)   If your bathroom’s looking tired, walls need some TLC, or the silicone’s seen better days – I’m your guy.       🧰 What I offer:     • Full bathroom renovations – from bare walls to steamy showers • Plastering & painting – smooth walls, fresh colours • Woodwork – skirting boards, architraves, shelving • Silicone replacement – because mouldy corners are a crime     ✅ Punctual & polite (but powered by coffee) ✅ No mess left behind (unless you count compliments) ✅ Free quotes – no pressure, no faff ✅ Trusted locally – East Dulwich included   📍 Based in Brockley, covering SE London   📸 Want to see my work or book a visit? 🌐 www.BastekInteriors.co.uk 📩 Email: [email protected] 📱 Phone: 07947751333   Happy to help – or chat tiles, if you’re into that sort of thing 😄 Cheers! Sebastian
Home
Events
Sign In

Sign In



Or sign in with one of these services

Search
×
    Search In
×
×
  • Create New...