Aug 26 2007
Labour’s newspeak
George Orwell explained how in the world of 1984 English socialism changed the language, to prevent heretical thoughts and to make sure everyone kept to the party line. Words were either deleted altogether, or were given limited or new meanings.
New Labour has been trying something similar. Here is a sample glossary:
“Investment in public services” - current spending in the public sector, including wasteful spending on reorganisations, spin doctors, management consultants, bogus consultations and propoganda.
” Tory Tax cuts means sacking teachers and nurses” - when Conservative tax plans are based on the assumption we carry on with Labour’s spending plans on health and education.
“Tough on crime and tough on the causes of crime” - allowing some areas to become no go areas for the law abiding, given over to gang warfare and drug dealing
“Reconfigurations of health services” - closures of local Accident and Emergency and Maternity services.
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John Redwood has been the Member of Parliament for Wokingham since 1987. First attending Kent College, Canterbury, he graduated from Magdalen College...
After a long decade of Labour government, George Orwell’s 1984 has become self-fulfilling prophesy. Cameras on every corner to monitor our movements, politically correct bodies to monitor our thoughts, government spokemen who issue directives in the form of soundbites, across all aspects of working life we are forced to meet government targets, our children are fingerprinted at school and we have a government wants to index each one of us wih ID cards which will eventually carry a record of our DNA. For the first time in my life I feel oppressed by a British government.
Isn’t it ironic that when it suits the Labour Party and the Lib Dems they constantly bang on about there not being any Conservative MP’s in our Northern Cities so why isn’t this used to the Party advantage when these same Labour and Liberal MP’s can’t secure local protection and security for hardworking families in Liverpool.
Would a Conservative MP in Croxteth have secured a mobile police presence in the Pub car park or can you really make no difference?
Reply: yes, it is interesting that the places with the highest unemployment and worst crime are usually Labour constituencies. An MP can make a little difference on local issues, but even more differecne if we can win a majority to change national policy.
Alas, this is typical of New Labour’s war on the English language, which is designed to distort the truth and confound the public. However, the Government can’t hide its plans to close A&E departments etc…
Surely the worst example of Labour doublethink is that the Rt Hon Gordon Brown is a fresh new Premier with little or no connection to the previous, unpopular Labour government!
The best one was the 2005 election mantra “Forward not back”
Forward to where? I remember asking a few Labour voters this and they couldn’t give me any answer other than ‘Not back to the Tories”.
I shudder reading their grass-roots websites, hailing the likes of Ken Livingstone as ‘progressive’ and demanding an end to ‘neo-liberalism’. They call for a ‘true representative democracy’ failing to see that we used to have one before the imbalances created by devolution.
I can’t help but think they want to move forard towards the same old socialist dream of a one-party state.
There are a few more Blairisms by the way
“Mine is the first generation able to contemplate the possibility that we may live our entire lives without going to war or sending our children to war.”
“I may find Saddam Hussein’s regime abhorrent - any normal person would - but the survival of it is in his hands.”
“The threat from Saddam Hussein and weapons of mass destruction - chemical, biological, potentially nuclear weapons capability - that threat is real. ”
“It literally is a struggle between the forces of good and the forces of evil …”
“You only require two things in life: your sanity and your wife.”
Oh well, he’s still got one!
Reply: Very good examples about Saddam