When I use a word, it means what I want it to mean

This week the "Centre for Policy Studies" has published a "Lexicon of Contemporary Newspeak". This is a dictionary of words used in their own special way by politicians, and by the Government in particular. It is well worth a read, and may be viewed by a down-load from their website.

Many of us have been puzzled since 1997 that the word "investment" has acquired a new meaning. In ordinary English investment is a commitment of resources, - time, labour or money, to a project which will produce returns in kind or money over future years. For New Labour it is a substitute for the word "spend", but it sounds better than "spend", which can mean throwing money wastefully at something.

"Consultation" means "tell the people what we have decided" or, at best, "Let the people sound off and say what they want, especially if they're in a marginal constituency, before we get on with what we have already decided." "Discussing" means, "We have no answers, but I'm not going to admit it.

Sometimes it is mere verbiage - short Anglo Saxon words will not do, and are replaced with a group of words, "Take forward" to replace the word "do". "Agenda" means a rag-bag of policies that have some kind of connection, and which are to be "taken forward." "Blue skies thinking" means "uncosted ideas for further activities", while "Draw a line under" means "we are evading responsibility".

Then again, there are the buzz words - "progressive" means "has approval from people like us".
"Social" is a word attached to anything and actually creates meaninglessness, but it must be good because it is social - social engineering, social justice (- all justice is social), social investment, social responsibility, etc. It must be bad if there is hate attached - race hate, hate crimes, etc. Am I bothered as a victim, that the criminal actually hates me when he does me wrong?

Perhaps the worst feature is to use words or phrases to give the opposite impression. Hence "addressing an issue" means "avoiding the issue", while "dialogue" usually means, "I'm not debating this now because I know nothing." What does "Let me finish" mean, other than "I want to continue talking so that you cannot hit me with more difficult questions.?" "Let me be (absolutely) clear" usually means "I want to confuse, because I have no evidence to support what I'm saying."

The CPS Lexic0n runs to 30 pages, and many more examples could be found. The important question is why they use such language. Sometimes it's to mislead and deceive, with little doubt. This may be to save reputation, or to promote reputation. Sometimes it's to avoid simple words which would have connotations which are unfavourable. Sometimes it is to use words which identify the speaker with his tribe.

Occasionally the self-judged highly intelligent rail against the simple straightforwardness of the tabloid press, where little is left to misunderstanding. Some Lexicon users, feeling that if the simple truth were out they would be like the emperor with no clothes, so they clothe themselves in obscurity. We need some members of the "Plain English" Society to take these abusers of English to task. At present when the Government talks of "Open Government", they mean "Let the people see the bits of which we are not ashamed, but conceal anything which might put us at a political disadvantage." I fear that the misuse of English will continue.