Author Archives: Max Atikinson

Last call for entries: Speechwriting competition – can the right words fend off protestors?

Writing speeches with Paddy Ashdown sometimes happened at difficult times, like when we’d spent weeks preparing his announcement that he would run for the leadership in 1988 – only for it to dawn on us that we’d have to produce another one for the next day, then another, followed by almost a speech a day for the next three weeks.

Nor was it much fun when the party was at 4% in the opinion polls or, and this was probably the most difficult one of all, working on his first speech as High Representative to the parliament of Bosnia Herzegovina.

Posted in Op-eds | Tagged , , , and | 2 Comments
Advert

Recent Comments

  • Chloe
    "We did use RON in single-winner STV / AV elections at my Students Union. But I’m not sure I see it as constructive practical politics" That's where it sho...
  • Chloe
    Richard; Who picks up the tab for the net fiscal deficit of the Scottish & Welsh governments . Jana is correct - ultimate sovereignty is with Westminster. ...
  • George Thomas
    I think there are some issues which should unite Welsh politicians across the spectrum: - retrospective compensation for lack of devolution of HS2 funding; ...
  • Matt (Bristol)
    cim - I could see a situation where in a multi-winner STV election, if NOTA or RON (reopen nominations) would remain in contention but with a special threshold ...
  • David S
    The logical result of a NOTA vote would be the election of a place-holder candidate who fills the seat and prevents anyone else from getting in, but who also re...