Cambridge Festival Of Ideas


As Ed Miliband makes a stand, what makes a great political speech?

Creative Commons EdMiliband via Flickr
A debate to examine the changing nature of political speeches will be held during the festival

All eyes will be on Ed Miliband today and much has been written about the importance of his party conference speech.

But what makes a good political speech? Inevitably, Ed Miliband will be compared with Labour leaders of the past, particularly Tony Blair who was known for his persuasive powers. Phil Collins, who wrote many of Blair’s speeches, says that great political speeches need a big event or a rallying cause and there are just less of them than there were in the past.

He will be speaking in a debate on political rhetoric at this year’s Cambridge Festival of Ideas next month. Other speakers include David Runciman, reader in political thought at the University of Cambridge, author Piers Brendon, former Keeper of the Churchill Archives Centre and Michael White, the Guardian’s political editor.

Read the full article in the Cambridge News here.

Get more details and book for this talk here.


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