Rhetoric: Words fail them

As the crisis unfolds, the actions have gotten bolder – but the rhetoric is still flat. Statements from world leaders often have added more fear than confidence to financial markets, even when they come with pledges of massive sums of cash. Gordon Brown’s rescue plan is setting the world standard but no one is rushing to ape the prime minister’s parlance. At the press conference announcing a £500bn bailout, Brown spent more time gruffly pointing fingers at the US than trying to lift the spiri...