The Thatcher/Reagan comparison holds up, maybe even the Blair/Clinton to some degree (Clinton was far brighter), but I’d argue we haven’t had anyone even remotely of Obama’s intellectual ability, nor anyone delivering the quality of speech that is written by/for Biden (Biden’s presentation is poor, but the content intelligent, brave and unflinching). UK politics is mainly at the Trump level. Really poor quality candidates burping up simplistic three or four word slogans and expecting to win elections through a flawed system that rules out any serious challenge to the two failed establishment parties.
There are no good speeches here ever, just endless dumb slogans, chants and bravado (‘Brexit means Brexit, ‘get Brexit done’, ‘tough on crime and the causes of crime’, ‘for the many not the few’ etc etc). The standard of debate really is piss poor and aimed at the lowest-IQ tabloid front page rather than actually addressing real issues with open debate and logical reform. I’d kill for an Obama-grade politician here. The closest we have is the Greens’ Caroline Lucas, but she’ll never be able to win against a totally rigged Tory election system and a bovine Labour Party who refuse to challenge it.