Why Asscher had the best speech!

Every month, De Nieuws BV (Radio 1) selects the three best speeches. This month Jurjen van den Bergh, founder of DeGoedeZaak and permanent member of the speeches panel and Huib Hudig, speechwriter at Speak to Inspire compile the top 3.

Number 3 - Mark Rutte applies for an international job

Prime Minister Mark Rutte gave a speech at the UN General Assembly on Wednesday. The impact of the speech was minor. Rutte was the 39th head of government to speak, on the third day of the assembly. Nevertheless, Huib Hudig finds the speech special: "I find this speech exceptionally fierce. You can see that Rutte really wants to take a stand that we should not take Trump's side and that we do need to work together."

Jurjen van den Bergh sees the speech as an application for an international job, probably a European position after the elections next year: "This was the brave Rutte, who is a footnote in the program, but who made a very clear statement to his European colleagues: I can go into the multilateral future with you."

Number 2 - Keir Starmer turns Labour congress upside down

In recent days, the Labour Party congress took place in England. One of the speakers was Sir Keir Starmer, the shadow Brexit minister, the highest man within Labour who has some say on Brexit. He is in a complicated position. He constantly has to navigate between the Tories' Leave strategy and meanwhile not saying that he himself wants to stay in the EU, because there are differing views on that within the Labour party.

In his speech, Starmer builds up to the point where he says that a new referendum and a choice to "Remain" - staying in the EU - is an option. That is extraordinary. That was not in the written text of this speech, it was improvised. Jurjen van den Bergh: "The best thing was: the best speaker of this speech was the audience. There was a standing ovation after this statement"

Number 1 - Lodewijk Asscher grabs his moment in the House of Representatives

This month's best speech came from PvdA leader Lodewijk Asscher. During the General Considerations, he delivered a tough speech against the cabinet, but also let it be known that there is business to be done with him. Because of the way he did that, Jurjen van den Bergh and Huib Hudig consider him the best speecher of the month.

It is rare for a speech from the House of Representatives to be nominated in this monthly top three. Huib Hudig has an explanation for that: "The Lower House is a tricky place to make a speech, because you're basically in a work meeting that goes through the president and everyone is allowed to interrupt you every so often. Asscher was given space here - that says something about his political position - but he managed to put down a strong story in those few minutes."