Listening to reports of the violent riots taking place in London to protest the increases in student tuition I was not so embarrassed by the actions of the students (many of whom were foolishly caught up in the actions of a "rent a mob") but rather by the shameful sloppiness of the language used by the Prime Minister in addressing the media. As I complained in a curmudgeonly fashion that was reminiscent of a veteran of the Boer Wars, Barbara pointed our that this was simply a politician attempting to communicate with the masses at their own level. Well, to use an appropriate English response: Balderdash! In embarrassed reflection upon my own increased abandonment of "proper English"; on Thursday I ordered from Amazon "Never Give In!", a collection of the finest of Winston Churchill's speeches edited by his grandson and even splurged $3.99 on overnight delivery. Between Friday evening and Saturday afternoon I devoured around 450 pages and completed the book today.
You do not need to be British to enjoy these speeches. You do not need to believe that this one man influenced the fate of the entire world over the last 170 years but if you read the speeches in order you will learn far more about the Second World War and the events leading up to and following it than you would from any "history" book and you will discover that communication does not need to be watered down to reach a broad audience. If you communicate the truth elegantly and with sincerity and simplicity you will reach any audience.
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