Today we had the pleasure of hosting a lunch time discussion on what makes a good political speech in New Zealand. Dr Bernard Cadogan presented us with a ‘perfect speech’ discussing the place of irony, wit and a range of other tools in political speeches today. Bernard discussed five speeches:
- Sir George Grey’s ‘Millions Yet Unborn’ (8 March 1878)
- Sir Apirana Ngata’s ‘The Gospel of Equality’(25 July 1939)
- Rt Hon. Simon Upton’s ‘Too Young – Too Old’ (13 December 2000)
- Rt Hon. Helen Clark’s A series of comments(2002, 2003 and 2004)
- Dr Don Brash’s ‘Nationhood’ (27 January 2004)
It was an informative and thought provoking speech, followed by a stimulating question and answer session. You can check out Dr Bernard’s PowerPoint slides below and the full speech on our Nation Voices website.
This event was filmed and we will post it on our YouTube channel in a few weeks time.
<
More about Dr Bernard Cadogan
Born Blenheim Marlborough 1961 | Resides Oxford UK, married with three children | Educated Otago, Cambridge and Oxford Universities | History, constitutional thought and political philosophy | Previous Political Advisor and Consultant to Hon. Bill English, Rt Hon. Dame Jennifer Shipley, Rt Hon. Simon Upton, Hon. Trevor Mallard | Advisor and Envoy to King Tuheitia Paki | Consultant The Treasury 2011; Māori International | Author “A Terrible and Fatal Man”: Sir George Grey and the British Southern Hemisphere.