10 The oratory of William Hague
-
Judi Atkins
Abstract
William Hague first came to prominence in 1977, when he addressed the Conservative Party conference at the age of 16. Here, he positioned himself as the spokesman for his generation, before telling the party where it was going wrong and what young people wanted it to do. After this brief moment in the spotlight, Hague returned to public prominence as Leader of the Opposition between 1997 and 2001. Widely recognised as an accomplished parliamentary orator Hague regularly shone at the despatch box, but proved unable to establish an effective rapport with the electorate more widely. Hague’s attempts to speak for the ‘mainstream majority’ failed, due to his inability to persuade the public that he was ‘one of them’; his representative claims were not grounded in a convincing ethos. Nonetheless in Parliament he has continued to demonstrate his ability to effectively combine logos, in the form of factual evidence and statistics, with pathos (humour), which in turn contributes to an ethos of competence.
Abstract
William Hague first came to prominence in 1977, when he addressed the Conservative Party conference at the age of 16. Here, he positioned himself as the spokesman for his generation, before telling the party where it was going wrong and what young people wanted it to do. After this brief moment in the spotlight, Hague returned to public prominence as Leader of the Opposition between 1997 and 2001. Widely recognised as an accomplished parliamentary orator Hague regularly shone at the despatch box, but proved unable to establish an effective rapport with the electorate more widely. Hague’s attempts to speak for the ‘mainstream majority’ failed, due to his inability to persuade the public that he was ‘one of them’; his representative claims were not grounded in a convincing ethos. Nonetheless in Parliament he has continued to demonstrate his ability to effectively combine logos, in the form of factual evidence and statistics, with pathos (humour), which in turn contributes to an ethos of competence.
Chapters in this book
- Front matter i
- Contents v
- Notes on contributors vii
- Acknowledgements ix
- List of abbreviations x
- Introduction 1
- 1 The oratory of Stanley Baldwin 14
- 2 The oratory of Winston Churchill 30
- 3 The oratory of Harold Macmillan 47
- 4 The oratory of Iain Macleod 62
- 5 The oratory of Enoch Powell 74
- 6 The oratory of Keith Joseph 87
- 7 The oratory of Margaret Thatcher 103
- 8 The oratory of Michael Heseltine 121
- 9 The oratory of John Major 137
- 10 The oratory of William Hague 150
- 11 The oratory of Boris Johnson 166
- 12 The oratory of David Cameron 182
- Conclusion 198
- Appendix 205
- Bibliography 208
- Index 226
Chapters in this book
- Front matter i
- Contents v
- Notes on contributors vii
- Acknowledgements ix
- List of abbreviations x
- Introduction 1
- 1 The oratory of Stanley Baldwin 14
- 2 The oratory of Winston Churchill 30
- 3 The oratory of Harold Macmillan 47
- 4 The oratory of Iain Macleod 62
- 5 The oratory of Enoch Powell 74
- 6 The oratory of Keith Joseph 87
- 7 The oratory of Margaret Thatcher 103
- 8 The oratory of Michael Heseltine 121
- 9 The oratory of John Major 137
- 10 The oratory of William Hague 150
- 11 The oratory of Boris Johnson 166
- 12 The oratory of David Cameron 182
- Conclusion 198
- Appendix 205
- Bibliography 208
- Index 226
