When They Go Low, We Go High

Philip Collins is a columnist for The Times and an Associate Editor of Prospect magazine. He was Chief Speech Writer to Prime Minister Tony Blair in 10 Downing Street between 2004 and 2007 and has subsequently written keynote speeches for a range of senior politicians, leaders of charities and NGOs and Chief Executive Officers. Mr Collins is the author of The Art of Speeches and Presentations and pioneered the analysis of major speeches in The Times.

‘Anyone interested in the past, present and future of speeches and speechwriting will find it a fascinating read. For those of us who like nothing better than to marvel at effective use of an anaphoric tricolon, it’s an absolute must.’ Spectator‘Wonderfully sharp and well informed’ Craig Brown, Mail on Sunday‘It deserves to find a home in many Christmas stockings, in the library of anyone interested in oratory or political theory, and on the odd A-level reading list… he brings to his analyses a deep understanding of the pragmatics of speech-making’ Guardian‘Collins… understands intimately the mechanics of rhetoric. He believes that we, as human beings, possess the capacity to extract ourselves from the swamp in which we have sunk. Great speeches, the author suggests, are the solution to Trump’ The Times‘Wonderfully sharp and well informed’ Craig Brown, Mail on Sunday‘Perfect conference reading’ Andrew Marr'No writer today understands the art of the speech so well as Philip Collins. His brilliant new book is an urgent tour through 2000 years of human history, revealing how the greatest addresses were shaped, while reminding us that politics and politicians still matter, and that when the greatest men and women speak to us, their words have the power to change the world'Dan Jones, bestselling author of The Plantagenets‘An utter gem of a book: Collins takes some of the finest speeches ever made and breathes new life into words you thought you knew well. Whether it's the inaugural addresses of US presidents – or the revolutionary writing of Castro, Pankhurst and Mandela – Collins' deft touch illuminates and contextualises these moments in history with wit and sensitivity – and the conviction that rhetoric may yet be our most powerful tool for changing the world’Emily Maitlis