For five years, I wrote the State of the Union speech for a Belgian prime minister, and for years I gave a masterclass in speechwriting.
And so on Wednesday (16 September), I watched Ursula von der Leyen's State of the Union of Europe through the eyes of a speechwriter.
The speech of von der Leyen lasted for 75 minutes, or one hour and 15 minutes. That is not too long.
In a State of the Union the speaker must em...
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