I've just heard a newsreader on television say that this morning Gordon Brown effectively ruled out an early general election when he said this morning that there will be a Labour Budget in March. The trouble is that that's not what he said. I know it because I watched the program where he was interviewed and the people writing the news broadcast know it too because they followed up by showing the relevant question and answer from the interview.
He was asked "Will there be a Labour Budget [in March]?" and he answered "There will be a budget if the time is right."
This is, as the more astute will notice, a non-answer because the person who decides if the time is right is Gordon Brown and so the answer is the equivalent of "there will be a budget if I say so and won't be a budget if I don't say so". It's about as non as a non-answer can get and I was baffled at the time as to why the interviewer didn't pick it up. I am equally baffled now as to how the interpretation on the news can be drawn from the actual words.
Don't you just love political doublespeak?
He was asked "Will there be a Labour Budget [in March]?" and he answered "There will be a budget if the time is right."
This is, as the more astute will notice, a non-answer because the person who decides if the time is right is Gordon Brown and so the answer is the equivalent of "there will be a budget if I say so and won't be a budget if I don't say so". It's about as non as a non-answer can get and I was baffled at the time as to why the interviewer didn't pick it up. I am equally baffled now as to how the interpretation on the news can be drawn from the actual words.
Don't you just love political doublespeak?
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