Political Euphemisms II

Blair: The difference between David Cameron and Tony Blair is that Blair was better at disguising his intentions. He would never have announced, for example, the sale of public forests. Instead he might have promised "a world-class forest estate" in which "walker-led beacon-foundation woodlands" would be managed through "partnerships with a plurality of recreational providers". Ten years later we would discover that our forests had mysteriously fallen into the hands of timber companies, and were being felled in the name of customer choice. George Monbiot Guardian May 17, 2011

British Bill of Rights: for MPs this is code for riding a white horse to Brussels and on to Strasbourg, bayonet in hand, to declare war on the entire European human rights edifice. Anne Treneman, Times, February 16, 2011

Building Stable Communities: [Dame Shirley] Porter left the country, and is still essentially a fugitive from justice, yet her approach [moving council tenants to outer boroughs] would be extremely influential on later Conservative and New Labour policy, where wholesale transfers of council tenants from inner to outer boroughs would accompany the selling off of council housing. Porter called her gerrymandering Building Stable Communities; Labour called it Building Sustainable Communities. @owenhatherley

calm (as in “has appealed for calm”) = not hitting people

cooperate: “I mean obey my commands! That’s what cooperate means when you’re Prime Minister!” (Yes, Prime Minister)

downward adjustment in living standards: fall @goodcopybadcopy

firebrand = troublemaker

human rights = to a Daily Mail reader, means “treating prisoners and criminals too leniently”

marginalise: A lot of these guys were marginalised – ie imprisoned – as “incorrect philosophers” in the Soviet era, but now they have been rehabilitated. Tim Dowling on the Russian Cosmists, April 11, 2011

occupy: Language used by BBC hilarious. #Gaddafi "occupies" territory, rebels "liberate" it. Gaddafi kills "civilians" (who wear uniform) #Libya @politicsworld

people: Remember Ian Paisley's refrain “the people of Northern Ireland”? Meaning Protestant people of a particular party. @hughpearman

reprofiling: They decided instead on a “reprofiling” of Greek debt – a euphemism for rescheduling payments that many take to mean a debt restructuring. Week

restraint = please don’t fire on your own citizens (restraint is always "urged")

robust = sexist

stability = no wars or revolutions

strident views = unacceptable/controversial/batty/crazily right-wing views (no longer code for feminist)

More here, here, here, here, here and here.