The Egyptian people, David Cameron said last week, have ‘legitimate grievances’. I can imagine a future historian of language examining the speeches of politicians to gauge the linguistic habits of the ruling class. Nothing could be more misleading.
The Egyptian people, David Cameron said last week, have ‘legitimate grievances’. I can imagine a future historian of language examining the speeches of politicians to gauge the linguistic habits of the ruling class. Nothing could be more misleading.
Samuel Johnson would sit in Edmund Cave’s office above that strange medieval survival, St John’s Gate, Clerkenwell, making up parliamentary speeches for the Gentleman’s Magazine from notes brought to him by men who’d heard them. Now we have verbatim transcripts of speeches (the important ones never made in Parliament), but we know they are not written by the people who deliver them. As for the statement on Egypt, it was made jointly with Nicolas Sarkozy and Angela Merkel, written in a language never spoken by human lips, excepting those of diplomatic spokesmen.
Get Britain's best politics newsletters
Register to get The Spectator's insight and opinion straight to your inbox. You can then read two free articles each week.
Already a subscriber? Log in
Comments
Join the debate for just $5 for 3 months
Be part of the conversation with other Spectator readers by getting your first three months for $5.
UNLOCK ACCESS Just $5 for 3 monthsAlready a subscriber? Log in