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Carney, Trump and the power of a good speech

Leaders need not be the sole, or even the main author of their speeches, but they do need to be the guiding mind behind them

    • That Keir Starmer is mostly a supporting role in the construction of his speeches is not incidental to why his government is directionless.
    • That Keir Starmer is mostly a supporting role in the construction of his speeches is not incidental to why his government is directionless. PHOTO: BLOOMBERG
    Published Tue, Jan 27, 2026 · 06:12 PM

    LEADERS don’t need to write every word themselves, but they do need to make sure it clearly represents their vision.

    Does it matter that Mark Carney wrote his excellent speech to Davos himself?

    In part, it matters because it is demoralising to me personally to learn that the list of jobs that I am worse at than Carney now includes not only central banker, political campaigner, prime minister, university ice hockey player but also writer.

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