The completely forgettable passages that voters across western democracies have associated with political speech for decades are largely absent. In some ways, the return of rhetoric as a hugely advantageous political skill feels like a liberation. Wider social, cultural and technological shifts have added to the value of clear political communication. Political communication is often about personifying the right mood. Technocrats such as Starmer wrongly assume that governments don’t need to explain and justify themselves in direct, resonant ways.