'Don't kill Granny' must surely be the most ridiculous, juvenile official announcement by a government minister.
It was the Health Secretary for England, Mr Matt Hancock, who said it although it was probably an aide, or speech writer who thought it would make headlines. It did, but only to emphasise Mr Hancock's fumbling, inelegant style and his failings as a minister.
The expression was demeaning and disrespectful to the elderly. It made the headlines but also resulted in a backlash and a stream of jokes - 'why just Granny, what about Grandad?'
Letter in The Guardian, 11 September
A basic rule for speech writers is to match the words with the character and style of the speaker so that it sounds natural and interesting.
Avoid jokes and humour unless it suits the occasion which almost certainly should not be political.
I wrote hundreds of speeches for local and national politicians - I did fifty in one year for a lord mayor - and I learned that lesson early on. My efforts to be humorous, to liven things up with a joke, went down like a lead balloon, to the speaker's and my embarrassment.
It is a pity the prime minster and his ministers don't realise that bluster and exaggeration is just as unwise.
Their speeches have been littered with senseless comments.
Their favourite expressions include 'incredible', 'let me be crystal clear'. The prime minister conjurs up 'mission control' and 'moonshot'
Mr Hancock today described new measures as super simple.
The habit to embroider is catching. One of the government's health chiefs used the preacher's 'each and every one of us'.
We are not children and we do not like being talked down to.
That is the path to derision and disbelief, fatal when the message should be positive and unambiguous.
So, a word in the ear to ministers and their speech writers - keep it simple and accurate. It pays.
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