Let’s bring patriotism back. That’s the real answer to the fiscal crisis. If we really believed in our country we wouldn’t belittle it in any way. Instead we’d work even harder to make it a success.
That is not to say that we haven’t made mistakes. Our foreign policy, for instance, has cost us a fortune and meant that thousands of soldiers have died. It has also brought us respect and gratitude from those that were under the yoke of dictators such as Saddam Hussein.
The U.S. has problems but they can and must be solved and the American people are the ones who can do it if they have the willpower and the determination. On July the 4th as we celebrate Independence Day we should think about how lucky we are to be free.
We should think about how much we have gained from all people who have become part of our nation. We should think, plan and act positively. Patriotism means more than fireworks and flying the flag. It means showing our love for our country by making it work.

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St. Patrick’s day is approaching and with it Irish people all around the world celebrate the feast of Ireland’s Patron Saint. How they celebrate depends, of course, on who they are and why they have left home.

Some will be serving with the United Nations in army bases in Africa. Others will be playing Aussie rules instead of hurling. Yet more will be pack-packing around the world.

Some will be will be bringing their business skills to companies in America and Europe.
On St. Patrick’s Day though they will all be Irish and proud of it.

Pride in your race is hard to define. It’s what makes you shout for your country’s football team or drink Guinness. It’s what allows you to criticise your leaders without allowing others the same privilege. For the Irish it’s about being both Celts and Christians.

In a secular world that’s a difficult combination but its there. Most of us still say a prayer for someone in trouble. Most of us believe that we have a mission to help those who are starving in the world. Somewhere in our background there is something that makes us want to influence the world for the better.. Our missionaries, our volunteers, our writers and artists have all spread the Irish message even if, in these days, we are slightly confused about what that message actually is.

On St. Patrick’s day, whatever their understanding of being Irish, the diaspora will celebrate and for a little while think of home and what it means to them. They will, in fact, be wearing the Shamrock with pride.

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Australia Day is often celebrated with barbeques on beaches. That’s probably apt because the day celebrates the arrival of the first fleet in 1788. The Australian person of the year is announced and like anyone else who is the person of the year he or she is lauded with speeches given praising his or her contribution to Australia. There are those, of course, who do not think it apt that Australians should commemorate the fact that the British colonised their country and destroyed the Indigenous culture. To them the other title for the day, “Invasion Day” is much more suitable. Whatever about that there are undoubtedly many official dinners and events on the day and with them will come the need for welcome to the guests speeches and toasts to the honored guests. Whatever is said at such functions for the average Australian it’s just a public holiday and a day off work. With a glorious climate and miles of glorious beaches it’s not surprising that
they will be quite happy to forget history and wallow in the water or drink beer on Bondi.

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Topicality is a speechwriters’ best friend. That is not to say that in January your speeches should be confined to Chinese New Year speeches or even Australia Day speeches. It does not mean that you have to write about Martin Luther King either although his day is celebrated that month. It simply means that these events give you some link that you can use, something with which to tie your own particular speech. At a son’s 21st birthday party in January for instance, you could start by saying. “We are not the only ones raising a toast this month. All over the world Scots are raising a glass to toast the immortal memory of their favourite Bard Robbie Burns”.
Today though we are toasting our favourite son..Obviously then you would go on and speak about your own son and his growing years.
Whether you link your speech with some historical event or with a current happening it will add a some interest and capture the attention of your audience. You have, you see, introduced the unexpected. So whether you are speaking at a wedding anniversary, a company function or a sporting occasion spread your net a little and make your audience think.

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The year of the Ox is about to begin and Chinese people everywhere will be celebrating the Chinese New Year. As it is also called the Spring festival it is obvious that the Chinese see it as a season of renewal and re-growth. They wear new clothes at this time of the year to symbolise a new start.  Like people of every race and nationality they will be hoping and praying for a happy and a healthy new year. They may not sing auld lang syne in a Scottish dialect but they do make it a time for family re-unions. In fact the period around the New Year is the period of most travel when millions of Chinese return home to celebrate with family and friends.

While to most Westerners the New Year firework displays are just entertainment the Chinese see them as a way to chase away bad luck. In fact any fire whether it be fireworks or the bamboo stalks that their ancestors once lit are, traditionally, believed to keep evil spirits at bay. Red is the colour of fire and that is why they also wear red clothes and have poems printed on red paper. Even the children get red packets with money in it. Perhaps the best known of all their traditions is the dragon dance where young men carry long painted dragons dance along the streets on the fifteenth day of the lunar month. Those of us who celebrate New Year’s Eve too well would, perhaps, love to be like the Chinese and have a fifteen day festival to give us time to recover from our hangovers!

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It’s time for “Out with the old and in with the new”. At a time of recession the New Year can be a time of despair or we can look at it as a time to party and look forward to the opportunities ahead. As we count down to midnight we usually make our New Year resolutions. Instead of losing weight or giving up cigarettes why not try something a bit more ambitious? You could decide to break out of your comfort zone and realise your potential.  In fact the New Year is a good time to fix your focus and achieve your goals.

Perhaps one of the reasons most of us do not follow through on our resolutions is because they are selfish ones, concerned only with our own health or finances. Obviously there is nothing wrong with improving your health by walking more or giving up alcohol. What not do something more positive though and do something for others? Perhaps one of the very best things we can do in the New Year is to commit a random act of kindness each day.  Now that will make somebody’s life better as well as your own.

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Every country has its heroes and its public celebrations. In most cases they are politicians or soldiers. In Scotland, however, they are more cultured and celebrate a poet and a man of the people. Burns Night is celebrated wherever Scots gather. There they toast the immortal memory of this great Bard. This is the 250th anniversary of his birth and so the parties will be bigger, the celebrations more hectic and it is probably fair to say that more whisky will be drunk. On that night they toast the Haggis, not to mention the lassies as well as pay tribute to a man who wrote many of his words in an ancient dialect. Yet whose works are as fresh and as relevant today as ever. The Burns Night celebration night ends with a song that is known almost everywhere. On New Year’s Eve the world joins in with the Scots in singing what is probably Rabbie’s most famous song of all, Auld Lang Syne.

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There is a saying that feeling appreciation and not expressing it is like wrapping a gift and not giving it.  Does that apply to your “Thanksgiving day?” As you sit down to your meal surrounded by family and friends do you actually give thanks for what you have received?
In these harsh times perhaps its time that we got back to basics and began to appreciate all that we have.  Most of us have roofs over our heads and food on our tables.  We have that aforementioned family and that, surely, is a great blessing when others are lonely.  Should not we be giving thanks for friendship and what it means in our lives?  Each one of us has been given talents and skills and as well as being grateful for them perhaps, at this time of thanksgiving, we should decide to use them. We may not sing like Pavarotti but we could entertain our acquaintances or help a party go with a swing.
Maybe too we should give thanks for living in a democracy where we can express our feelings through the ballet box. We should be thankful for the fact that we can walk down the street without fearing a hand on our shoulder snatching us off to imprisonment and torture.
Our health is, they say, our wealth and anyone who has been ill knows that is true. For most of us, whatever our illness, there is a hospital where we can avail of help and pain relief. Maybe as a token of our gratitude we might press for medical care to be more readily available to all who need it.
Thanksgiving you see is more than just being grateful. It is more than a secular holiday.  It is a day for appreciating our own good fortune and sharing it with others. Whatever your creed or beliefs on this Thanksgiving Day remember the real reason for the celebration.

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Christmas cards convey season’s greetings to those who receive them. What, though, should you say if you are actually addressing people at a seasonal gathering? You might, for instance, be a guest at an annual dinner/party of another company. Obviously your speech should be gracious in tone thanking your hosts for their kind invitation and speaking of the connection between your companies over the years. You may have to as a club or association’s Christmas speech. You will naturally speak of shared experiences of club members over the year and, naturally, wish your members all the compliments of the season. . A retirement association annual dinner is often held at the festive season and you may be asked to address those one time members of your staff. You should speak of their invaluable contribution to the company and stress the positive side of retirement. All such speeches should be light-hearted and jovial in tone as befits the holiday spirit and end with an appropriate toast. Unless you are a riveting speaker make it short. Those attending the function are, after all, enjoying a social occasion and don’t want to listen to long speeches. A card can say it in a few lines. You should be able to say it in a few moments.

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“Shop early for Christmas” is a saying that applies only to the well organised amongst us.  In fact in these tight-beltening times perhaps we won’t even be Christmas shopping at all. Certainly companies might be tempted to cancel their Christmas parties or their Happy holiday functions at this time of recession. Yet this might prove to be an ill advised move because it is like saying that you have no confidence in your staff or in the future of your business. The bosses Christmas speech is full of seasonal good will of course but it is also time to get a motivational message across when you staff are all gathered and in a relaxed and happy humour. The office party is a time when you can rightly share your hopes with your staff and explain to them that you need their help in facing into tougher times. That Christmas party is a time to sell the future of your company to those who will make it happen.

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