Winston Churchill voted most inspirational orator of all time

Only Winston Churchill was a more inspiring orator than Martin Luther King, according to a new survey.

To mark the 50th anniversary of King's "I have a dream" speech on 28 August, ComRes survey for The Independent asked people to compare King with eight other speakers.

The resulting league table showed being dead is the most important qualification for a high ranking, and that current or recent UK politicians are the worst rated.

David Cameron is saved from last place only by his immediate predecessor at No 10.

39 percent said Churchill was a "more inspiring" speaker than King, and a further 36 percent that he was "about the same" - presumably thinking of his wartime radio addresses rather than his postwar claim that a Labour government "would have to fall back on some form of Gestapo".

Only 11 percent said Churchill was "less inspiring" than King.

John F Kennedy comes third in the table. The 50th anniversary of his assassination, three months after King's speech, falls this 22 November.

Margaret Thatcher, whose "lady is not for turning" speech was much replayed when she died in April, comes fourth.

List of most inspiring orators:

Winston Churchill

Martin Luther King

JF Kennedy

Margaret Thatcher

Barack Obama

Boris Johnson

Tony Blair

David Cameron

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