Mr Hague's solution involves briskness, both personal and in his political analysis.

ECONOMIST: Bagehot

Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe moved to the podium with his trademark blend of languor and briskness - still looking reasonably sprightly for an 87-year-old in reportedly poor health.

BBC: Zimbabwe: The land of nervous laughter

There was a briskness about him, a quickness of action, and in those early weeks, he followed the evidence closely, always leafing through his files, listening carefully to the witnesses, and making pages of notes.

BBC: Shipman in the dock

Omirbaev tells the tale with briskness, simplicity, and restraint, getting his actors to move smoothly and to speak with understated, pointed calm and capturing their heartrending action in mock-bland images that alternate between stern assertion and stunned disbelief.

NEWYORKER: Chouga

Though its career as a hit-maker dried up shortly after its 1986 debut, Crowded House continued to churn out glorious power-pop singles through the early '90s, following the Top 10 gems "Don't Dream It's Over" and "Something So Strong" with a sturdy string of tracks that deftly balance briskness and melancholy.

NPR: Crowded House Won't 'Stop' Sparkling Sadly