First Draft

A newsletter on public language from The Draft.

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First Draft #38: a newsletter on public language

Management-speak comes to football; Starmer's queasy tic; Britain's "seismic" politics; how to land an opening vignette

Jun 11

First Draft #37: a newsletter on public language

The perils of AI editing; the power of verbs; a return to viva voce; ‘playing catch-up’; Trump and King Charles; join our course

May 1

First Draft #36: a newsletter on public language

Starmer's favourite word; profanity politics; Orwell; Jenrick's delusions of grandeur; Traitor-itis

Jan 29

First Draft #35: a newsletter on public language

Trump’s F-bomb; 7/7 jargon lesson; "engaging stakeholders"; the struggle to sound human; Bayeux Tapestry; The Draft is hiring

Jul 11, 2025

First Draft #34: a newsletter on public language

The rhetoric of free trade; levers; Mrs Dalloway; Conclave

Apr 24, 2025

First Draft #33: a newsletter on public language

Populist truths; Kipling, the King and Christmas; what to do with milestones; Welby bombs

Dec 23, 2024

First Draft #32: a newsletter on public language

Fake populism; "big asks"; Kamala echoes Keir; Jenrick clichés

Sep 9, 2024

First Draft #31: a newsletter on public language

Election special: Two speeches - why Emmanuel Macron is more interesting than Rishi Sunak

May 23, 2024