Here is my list of favourite political speeches, in order:
1. Sir Winston Churchill - "Never Despair" - his effective farewell to the House of Commons - March 1 1955.
2. Sir Winston Churchill -"We Shall fight on the beaches" - Needs no commentary - June 4, 1940.
3. Hillary Benn - "Syria" - A must watch on You Tube - December 1, 2015.
4. Ronald Reagan - "Tear down this Wall" - June 12, 1987.
5. Sir Robert Menzies - "The Forgotten People" - May 22, 1942.
But my favourite speech of any type comes from the one and only General George S. Patton. Known as the "Patton Speech" it is unequivocally the most potent motivational rhetoric I've encountered.
It works because it is in the tone and language of the audience. Its message is simple and brutal; its presentation is nothing like what an orthodox officer would deliver. It is brilliant.
I love this quote in defense of fruity language - (as Patton wrote to a family member):
"When I want my men to remember something important, to really make it stick, I give it to them double dirty. It may not sound nice to a bunch of little old ladies, at an afternoon tea party, but it helps my soldiers to remember. You can't run an army without profanity, and it has to be eloquent profanity. An army without profanity couldn't fight its way out of a piss-soaked paper bag."
