MEMORANDUM
FROM PHILIP
MORGAN
I have today (1 May) heard via the Local Government
Association (LGA), the Hampshire CC and my charity work of your
brave expedition into the jungle of jargon. So I'm a day late
in responding. But I have something vital to say.
The LGA seem to have got lost in the jungle
very quickly indeed!! Their contribution is muddled in the extreme.
Here are some words they are suggesting councils
don't use because they are jargon: taxonomy, re-baselining, mainstreaming,
holistic governance, contestability, predictors of beaconicity,
synergies. (Source: HCC Hampshire Children's Trust Newsletter,
Spring 2009)
This list shows a clear failure to understand
what jargon is.
The list consists of perfectly good and acceptable
English words that most people don't know PLUS invented
words or phrases which people outside the loop can't be expected
to understand. In other words, the list consists of English
words and jargon. It is not a list solely of jargon.
It probably doesn't even include all the main
types of jargon anyway!! A major cause of jargon is where the
meaning of a perfectly ordinary and clear English word is changed
to some different and special meaning that nobody else understands—and
which of course laymen try to understand in its normal dictionary
meaning. As I've not had time to think about this subject properly
I can only think of one example: In March Hampshire CC produced
a young carers strategy and action plan. I asked a military man
and my dictionary what a strategy is; it is a "Plan of Action" .
So HCC have just published simultaneously in the same binding
a Plan of Action and an Action Plan. The strategy is not a strategy
anyway: so the two parts of the document appear to be different.
But clearly, the normal English word "strategy" with
a perfectly clear meaning has been used to mean something else,
without anybody noticing. This is probably the worst type of jargon,
as you rightly assume you understand what is being said, but in
fact you don't!
At least with "governance" you know
you're up against a new word, in fact a dictionary word, but little
used and with the same meaning as government. When you try hard
and can't distinguish its meaning from "government",
you know you're into jargon! I'd be interested to know if you
can explain the difference—especially as you're one of the
wisest people in Parliament! (I know flattery gets you nowhere—but
I do have a high regard for your views and judgement.)
I hope this helps, but it seems absolutely clear
that the LGA doesn't understand the subject. They're even trying
to get people to play jargon bingo—how trite—talk
about the blind leading the blind!
My sudden contact with this subject tells me
that the same intellectual failure that produces jargon is being
applied to a vain attempt to remove it!! I know you will
bring some sense to it all!
Bon courage!
May 2009
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