Hurricane Hannan
by Graham Davies

Most politicians regard Freedom of Speech not as a right, but as a continual obligation. But not Daniel Hannan. His verbal blitzkrieg on Gordon Brown managed to encapsulate in 3 minutes what many of his Conservative colleagues have spent several years saying.

His performance was a presentational triumph. I accept that there was more than a hint of Smart-Alec-at-the-Oxford-Union....and the speech consisted entirely of assertion without supporting evidence.

But the sheer effort he had put into finding short and memorable phrases (you have run out of our money) paid off handsomely. He had also clearly rehearsed the speech several times so there was hardly a stumble or hesitation when he glanced down at his notes.

The real secret of his success was that the speech was so short.

It was a stunning contrast to David Cameron's 76-minute Party conference speech which seemed to owe alot to Tolstoy.

Whenever you are preparing a speech or presentation, remember that everyone's attention span is so much shorter than it was 10 years ago. No-one wants the chap spouting at the front of the room to take of more of the day than absolutely necessary.

For a speech to be immortal , it does not have to be eternal.