Politics and the English Language

"Politics and the English Language" (1946) is an essay by George Orwell criticizing "ugly and inaccurate" contemporary written English.

Orwell said that political prose was formed "to make lies sound truthful, and to give an appearance of solidity to pure wind." Orwell believed that, because this writing was intended to hide the truth rather than express it, the language used was necessarily vague or meaningless. This unclear prose was a "contagion" which had spread even to those who had no intent to hide the truth, and it concealed a writer's thoughts from himself and others.

In our time, political rhetoric is largely the defense of the indefensible. Things like the defense of Peter McKay to joy ride in a search and rescue helicopter, the support of the Minister of the Treasury Board to extravagantly spend on the G8/G20 Toronto Summit in 2010, or the continuance of debate as to whether Canada’s Armed Forces should be engaged in military combat or be predominantly a peace-keeping corp, can indeed be defended, but only by arguments which are too pathetic for most people to face.

Thus political language has to consist largely of euphemism, question-begging and sheer cloudy vagueness. Defenseless villages are bombarded from the air, the inhabitants driven out into the countryside, the cattle machine-gunned, the huts set on fire with incendiary bullets: this is called pacification. Every year somewhere around the globe, tens of thousands of peasants are robbed of their farms and sent trudging along the roads with no more than they can carry: this is called transfer of population or rectification of frontiers. People are imprisoned for years without trial, or shot in the back of the head: this is called elimination of unreliable elements. Such phraseology is needed if one wants to name things without calling up mental pictures of them.

As the late comedian George Carlin once wrote, nobody really questions anything anymore… people are too fat, too happy and too prosperous for their own good. Everyone’s got a cell phone that’ll make pancakes and a computer that can scratch their arse. Why would they bother spending valuable time trying to figure out what politicians are saying or not saying?
Carlin is also the guy who said that he did not complain about politicians. “Everybody complains about politicians, everybody says they suck”, he said. Well, where do people think these politicians come from? They don’t fall off the turnip truck. They don’t pass through a membrane from another reality. They are a product of our own creativity or, as was the case in the last federal election, a product of Quebec’s complete complacency with the democratic process. Their slogan was – I am so sick and tired of being sick and tired…. so they chinch the rafters of the House of Commons with gum chewing, giggly and inexperienced teenagers. Théâtre de l'Absurde…

Speaking of protest… we experienced our own fringe movement in Newfoundland and Labrador during the last election. Some argue that it was a protest against the incumbent government while others attribute it to the “orange wave” that spread across the country last spring. Regardless of reason, it was refreshing to see a challenge from the far left of the political spectrum. It was probably the first provincial election in our history where all three political parties rightfully deserved to claim some degree of victory.

The aftermath of any election also brings an element of defeat to the victor. By virtue of their candidacy most politicians have aspirations of not only being elected to the House of Assembly but being selected to cabinet if they are on the government side. They seldom stray far from their telephones on the eve of a new cabinet being unveiled. They definitely feel the sting of rejection when the phone never rings.

To make matters worse for aspiring cabinet ministers this time around, Premier Dunderdale also made a choice to exhibit self-discipline and demonstrate prudent management in an era of economic restraints by reducing the size of cabinet. Presumably, she has drawn down on what she considers to be the very best that her caucus has to offer. Evidently, experienced ministers trumped ambitious backbenchers who, in some cases, are returning for their second or third term.
With the exception of Alberta where the incumbent conservatives have reigned forever, or in Quebec where anything is possible or nothing is impossible, historical trends in this province might suggest that a transition is possible in four years. The NDP already smell change and the Liberals smell blood. In due course, Dunderdale will smell dissent as dunce arses and idle minds contemplate their futures on the back benches. It has happen before!

Across the province the NDP have built their foundation from the grassroots up – one vote at a time. There is no sense of entitlement here… simply a philosophical determination to reach out and make a difference. The Liberals on the other hand seem more interested in a quick fix as they sack one leader after another and redecorate the corner office for the coming of the messiah.

In the meanwhile, as new games begin, I am content to savour the thought of four years under a socially conscious, sincere and pragmatic premier. Kathy Dunderdale brings a renewed energy to the office, a new focus on making a difference for all Newfoundlanders and Labradorians. She has an opportunity to build on the firm foundation left by her predecessor while heeding the howling beyond the boundaries of the Northeast Avalon. The critics are right…she is no Danny Williams but that may not be a bad thing!