Tony Blair’s resignation speech, first draft

I was born decayed after the Second World War. I was a young man after I was a child. Before that I was a baby. Between the ages of thirteen and nineteen, I was a -teenager.

At that time, I looked at my own country, though back then of course it still wasn’t mine.

Magnificent country, wonderful history, splendid traditions, proud of its past, super people, lovely sense of humour, fantastic fish-and-chips, great train robbers.

But too reliant on old-fashioned verbs. And pronouns. Speeches back then, too wordy. With no mid-sentence pauses for.

Emotion.

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