The language of politics

Once upon a time, wicked meant evil. Nowadays it means that something is really cool, and cool is the word commonly used to describe something previously considered to be hot.

It is a simple fact of life that language is constantly evolving with words acquiring new meanings all the time. Nowhere is this more readily apparent than in the world of politics.

As a helpful guide to linguists, below is a list of common phrases used by politicians with a translation using modern terminology. Please feel free to add your own examples.

“Good morning, I am a Liberal Democrat” means “Good morning, I am a pathological liar”

“Trust me” means “Run for the hills”

“We have no plans to….” means “We have every intention of…”

“We will give power back to the people” means “We will transfer power from Whitehall civil servants to unelected Town Hall officers”

“We’re all in this together” means “You’re all in this together”

“It’s time to stop playing politics” means “My opponent is right”

“We will have a full and thorough public consultation” means “We will kick the issue into the long grass for a few months and then carry out our plans as intended”

“I'm a conviction politician” means “I will say whatever you want to hear as long as you vote for me”