Agree Or Disagree?

[anotheoldgit]

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/politics/winston-churchill-defeats-martin-luther-king-in-battle-of-the-orators-poll-8772720.html

This poll shows that Winston Churchill was the best orator of all time, with Martin Luther King beaten into second place.

/// ComRes asked: "For each of the following, please indicate whether you think they were, or are, more inspiring or less inspiring a speaker than Martin Luther King, or about the same?" The scores show the difference between the percentage saying "more inspiring" and that saying "less inspiring". ///

Rhetoric league

Winston Churchill +28

Martin Luther King 0

JF Kennedy -11

Margaret Thatcher -33

Barack Obama -36

Boris Johnson -62

Tony Blair -71

David Cameron -74

Gordon Brown -79

/// ComRes interviewed 2,001 GB adults online on 14 and 15 August 2013. Data were weighted to be demographically representative ///

Doesn't say much for our last three PMs.

[BlueToffee]

Thank you Dr B, I had forgotten just how powerful a speech it was, awe inspiring.

[Tilly2]

I think Shakespeare's Henry 5th did a good job before the battle of Agincourt.
He's not on the list though

[THECORBYLOON]

ANOTHEOLDGIT, since you are a stickler for accuracy when it comes to quotes, does the report say "Churchill was the best orator of all time" or does it say folk think he was more inspiring than King in comparison to others in a very short list? I could not get the link to open so I had to Google it and there may be differences.

[sp1814]

Oh dear...I read The Indy all the time, and am a little saddened that it saw fit to publish this poll...because of how it could be interpreted.

Let's not fall into the trap of judging our historical titans like members of flipping One Direction.

Ohhhh...who do you think is the best orator...Churchill or King?

Ohhhh...who do you think is the best kisser...Harry or Zayn?

Strewth!!!!

[DaisyNonna]

Waste of time, effort and money. As are most polls.
Together with 'experts say....' 'So and so reports that....' 'according to ....'

[FredPuli43]

The link as given doesn't make any claim that Churchill is the greatest orator of all time.

That must be AOG's gloss on it, unless it was written by one of the sub-editors who he quotes or rewrites for, and he only appeared to adopt it without meaning it to be taken as his. Which is it, AOG ?

[FredPuli43]

^ best orator^ not 'greatest'. No difference, in the context, but you know how picky some people can be on here.

[SeaJayPea]

Do bear in mind that many of Churchill's wartime speeches were made in the House of Commons, and there was no broadcasting from there at that time. There has been a rumour for years that they were actually recorded by Norman Shelley, an actor who did one of the voices for the Toytown series of the 1950s. Churchill re-recorded them after the war, but any of those, including "we shall fight them on the beaches" that was heard during the war was spoken in the Commons and not recorded contemporaneously.

[emmie]

I have listened to the Martin Luther King speech, i rarely get through it without a tear, it's very moving.
However Churchill has the Henry the V speech effect, to rally, inspire and fill people with hope, that things will come good, have read a lot of his works, he was a remarkable man.

[jim360]

Not really sure that's fair, steve, and anyway who wasn't "on the bottle" back then? And if you mean "alcoholic", then Churchill was (apparently) not, although he did drink a lot:

http://www.winstonchurchill.org/learn/myths/myths/he-was-an-alcohol-abuser

But more important, Churchill was a great speaker long before his war speeches, and if he is remembered mostly for those it's because we have recordings of them -- and he was pretty good after the war, too, such as his "Iron Curtain" speech.

Finally, what is wrong with a speech being jingoistic propaganda anyway? Churchill said what was needed to be said, how it needed to be said, and when. Given the depth of the crisis, we sure needed a bit of jingoistic propaganda to see us through it.

[emmie]

i would listen to Churchill over almost anyone, his speeches on whatever matter were strong, personal and to the point.

[craft1948]

Well Steve is obviously right in his opinion.................pmsl.