Category Archives: Politics

Noticed

By tim | Published: 12/06/2013

‘A great many people think they are thinking when they are merely rearranging their prejudices.’ William James  

Also posted in Graffiti, History, London, Writing | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Apostrophegeddon

By tom | Published: 07/05/2013

Writing is not about rules, but communicating ideas. Any company that rejects a job application because of a misplaced apostrophe is barking up the wrong tree. The most original thinkers I work with struggle to tie their shoelaces.

Also posted in Advertising, Art, Authors, Books, Brand, Business, Campaigning, Colloquialisms, Copy analysis, Corporate communications, Crisis communications, Design, Education, Free speech, History, Jargon, Media, Plain English, Poetry, Reading, Storytelling, Tone of voice, Vocabulary, Writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Fighting talk

By Patrick | Published: 31/03/2013

There are words whose unexpected appearance in the public domain causes a combination of fascination and dictionary grabbing. And then there is another category of words whose appearance is so utterly surprising that you just have to sit back and admire the sheer etymological bravado of it all. Such a word popped up in headlines the world over this past Friday. The American government’s choice of ‘bellicose’ to describe the rhetoric of North Korea.

Also posted in Colloquialisms, Jargon, Tone of voice, Vocabulary, Writing | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

50 shades of sorry

By tom | Published: 21/01/2013

Sorry is one of the most subjective words in the English language because it can be infected with so many nuances. Far from expressing genuine contrition, governments, businesses, public figures and (sorry about this) you and me use apologies to divert attention, manage expectations, resuscitate reputations, and even implicate the victim. 2013 has already seen [...]

Also posted in Brand, Business, Celebrities, Colloquialisms, Copy analysis, Families, Jargon, Media, Relationships, Storytelling, Tone of voice, Vocabulary, Writing | Tagged | Leave a comment

Leaders and Speechwriters

By Brian | Published: 27/11/2012

‘You start by writing down the headline you want to see in the paper after you’ve delivered the speech. Then you write the two press releases for the articles you want to appear as follow-up stories to the speech. Then you sit down to write the speech.’ Paddy Ashdown

Also posted in Campaigning, Poetry, Speechwriting, Storytelling, Tone of voice, Writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Noisy perfection

By tom | Published: 26/09/2012

I am sitting in the Bodleian Library with Dr Christopher Fletcher, a Fellow of Exeter College, member of the English Faculty and Keeper of Special Collections. On the table between us is a yellowing manuscript of translucent pages inscribed with a neat copperplate script in brown ink. It is the autograph draft manuscript of The [...]

Also posted in Art, Authors, Books, Brand, Business, Campaigning, Copy analysis, Education, Families, Free speech, History, Photography, Reading, Storytelling, Writing | Leave a comment

Heavenly bodies

By tom | Published: 08/08/2012

A hop, skip and jump from the Olympic VIP entertainment suites where regimes with appalling human right records are enjoying a break from torturing their citizens, is a simple, humble encampment of Eelam Tamils. Gobi Sivanthan is on hunger strike to raise awareness about Black July, 1983. According to Tamils Against Genocide, this is the period [...]

Also posted in Brand, Business, Campaigning, Design, Education, Families, Free speech, Health, History, London, Storytelling, Writing | 1 Response

A thunder of assent

By Patrick | Published: 08/08/2012

Throughout Churchill: The Power of Words, you are reminded of the importance of the physicality of writing, and the way in which the scaffolding of language is built, piece by piece, with effort and craft, to arrive at something which inspires, moves and motivates

Also posted in Education, History, London, New York City, Speechwriting, Storytelling, Tone of voice, Writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 12 Responses

You’re only supposed to blow the bloody doors off!

By tom | Published: 09/07/2012

Just back from touring Italy with The Ham and Cheese Company – part of the breakaway faction from Borough Market now trading in Spa Terminus – Bermondsey. We travelled from Bologna to Parma to Siena to Roma meeting people whose lives revolve around making marvellous food. The idiosyncratic hams and cheeses we sampled along the [...]

Also posted in Advertising, Art, Campaigning, Design, Education, Families, Food, Health, History, Photography, Poetry, Science, Storytelling, Writing | Comments closed

War is peace. Freedom is slavery. Ignorance is strength

By tom | Published: 16/04/2012

Question: What do racism, ostracism, despotism, sectarianism, fanaticism, nationalism, evangelism, symbolism, jingoism, patriotism, puritanism, factionalism and totalitarianism have in common? Answer: Euphemism.     Just back from Berlin and the Topography of Terror project, which catalogues the horrors of the Nazi era through images and texts. The building is located on the site previously occupied [...]

Also posted in Brand, Campaigning, Design, Education, Families, Free speech, History, Jargon, Speechwriting, Storytelling, Tone of voice, Travel, Writing | Comments closed