A soundbite of tortured syntax and logic

by | Jan 24, 2008


Benedict Brogan on Jacqui Smith’s experience on the Today Programme this morning (listen):

Carolyn Quinn can’t have been the only person who burst out laughing as Jacqui Smith tried to explain the Government’s terror package, except that she was able to do it to the Home Secretary’s face. Can anyone blame her? Ms Smith insists that something that might happen – but has not yet – is not unhypothetical. Before I confuse things further, this is what she told Ms Quinn. See if you can work it out:

“It won’t be hypothetical if and when it occurs. We are not legislating now on the basis that we are bringing it in now for something that might happen in the future; we are bringing it in now for something that might happen in the future; we are bringing in a position for if it becomes unhypothetical. If, unfortunately I and many other experts are right and we do need it in the future it is in place.”

Very Rumsfeldian.

Author

  • Charlie Edwards is Director of National Security and Resilience Studies at the Royal United Services Institute. Prior to RUSI he was a Research Leader at the RAND Corporation focusing on Defence and Security where he conducted research and analysis on a broad range of subject areas including: the evaluation and implementation of counter-violent extremism programmes in Europe and Africa, UK cyber strategy, European emergency management, and the role of the internet in the process of radicalisation. He has undertaken fieldwork in Iraq, Somalia, and the wider Horn of Africa region.

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