Living in the capital city of a small country (sorry but it is true) has huge advantages. Yesterday I attended the National Council for Volunteer Organisation's annual conference here in London and because we are close to parliament a couple of MPs were able to attend. I suppose this is how life is if you live in DC. On TV and radio you only get sound bites. Here we were able to hear how articulate they are about their constituents, trends and ways of government.
I was particularly impressed with Ed Miliband - his official title: The Rt Hon Ed Miliband MP – Minister for the Cabinet Office and Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster. You gotta love the titles in the UK. He spoke without notes with clarity, enthusiasm and knowledge of The Third Sector (UK title for the not-for-profit sector). Also impressed with his ability to take three questions from the audience, remember people's names and clearly address their concerns. This guy is a pro.
The other MP who spoke was Rt Hon Oliver Letwin MP who, unfortunately didn't get me quite as enthused. I think part of it may be the accent - so melodic and upper-crust British it lulled me to sleep (Sorry again UK).
You can watch their addresses online here.
