Let’s be honest. This has not been a great year for British political speeches. It is of course unfair of me to expect every year to produce the equivalent of “I have a dream” or “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself” but we are living through a time of political, economic and social flux. Such a situation is crying out for a big leader and the big idea to fill the void created by so much uncertainty. The way that politicians communicate has rightly evolved, following on the coattails of technological advances and consumer habits, but the set-piece speech is still an important tool for political definition. Here is hoping that 2012 will contain a speech that makes me understand the now and inspires me to follow the right path into the future.
The best speech of the year was delivered by Queen Elizabeth II at Dublin Castle. When one listens to the Queen you are usually aware that you are witnessing a ‘process’, listening to the words of an institution rather than a person. Elizabeth II’s interpretation of the monarchy is to embrace formality at the expense of any emotional engagement. The Dublin Castle speech was different. As I wrote at the time:
“The history between our two nations is a personal one. The Royal Family’s history is our history. Elizabeth II’s ancestors once viewed County Mayo as theirs, the Queen has lost loved ones at the hands of dissident republicans. This all made the words spoken at Dublin Castle – and the rest of the visit – so much more impactful than if it had been conducted by a politically elected president.”
The speech containing the most dignity was delivered by Tariq Jahan, whose son was murdered during the riots. At a time when the fall-out of the riots could have spiralled into revenge attack after revenge attack Mr Jahan briefly paused from his personal grieving to tell all agitators to stop:
“I lost my son. Blacks, Asians, whites – we all live in the same community. Why do we have to kill one another? Why are we doing this? Step forward if you want to lose your sons. Otherwise, calm down and go home – please.”
West Midlands Chief Constable Chris Sims credits Mr Jahan’s words with defusing tension and limiting further violence.
The most thought provoking speech was delivered by Eric Schmidt, CEO of Google, in Edinburgh. Governing should be about organising the now to help create the best possible future. The UK’s position of being a pre-eminent country – one that is considered important enough to be a part of the G20 and sit on the UN Security Council – is not guaranteed. Though the Mactaggart lecture was meant to cover the future of television Schmidt laid out some of the principles that he believes will help societies be successful in future generations.
- “You need to bring art and science back together… over the past century the UK has stopped nurturing its polymaths… you’re either a ‘luvvy’ or a ‘boffin’.”
- “We need to reignite children’s passion for science, engineering and maths… I was flabbergasted to learn that today computer science isn’t even taught as standard in UK schools.”
- “You need to get better at growing big companies. The UK does a great job at backing small firms and cottage industries… UK businesses need championing to help them grow into powerhouses, without having to sell out to foreign companies – like Google.”
- “You also need to get smarter about how to bridge the divide between public and commercial sectors, to get the most from your public sector innovations.
The most misjudged speech was Ed Miliband’s Labour Conference effort. I didn’t mind the bad capitalists/good capitalists language as this was an attempt to answer the big question we face; how should society be best organised in the future? Unfortunately it appeared that not nearly enough thinking had gone into this theme as it became quickly apparent that the Labour leadership was not prepared to define what was a ‘good’ or ‘bad’ capitalist, let alone float any ideas as to what to do to stop the latter and encourage the former. Big ideas only work if they are built on solid foundations and can be strongly defended from obvious attacks. The most misjudged words of 2011 were when Ed Miliband said: “Outsiders… This is who I am”. Ed Miliband’s father was a prominent academic (and has a valid claim to have been an ‘outsider’), Ed went to Oxford, then worked for Harriet Harman and Gordon Brown, took a short break to lecture at Harvard before becoming an MP, and was then fast-tracked into the Cabinet. He may not have gone to Eton but Ed Miliband is a Labour insider and a political industry insider. Nothing about his life shows that he has had “bog standard” experiences. The only way Miliband can be seen to be an ‘outsider’ is when you compare him to the lives lived by the majority.
The speech with most unfulfilled potential was David Cameron’s response to the summer riots. Cameron has been concerned with mending ‘Broken Britain’ ever since he won the leadership of the Conservative Party. The Big Society agenda is partly about building up the community ability in those areas that have become reliant on the state. After the riots Cameron delivered a passionate speech where he stated that politicians must take part in the moral debate; to deliver “Stronger families. Stronger communities. A stronger society”. This involves promoting what you believe is right – such as the family and ensuring that the importance of responsibility is given equal weight as the importance of rights – and rejecting moral relativism. The speech was strong – partly because Cameron was talking about a subject that he has for a long time taken great interest in and partly because Cameron is at his best when reacting to a crises – but six months later the actual follow-up is hard to see. This may be because I am not looking in the right places, and I do understand that change takes time, but the impression I have is that this was a speech for the instant moment rather than been a consistent theme.