Mind your language: Words really matter in the world of politics

Alison O’Connor argues that Simon Coveney, through his words, is pointing the blame for homelessness not towards him or his Cabinet colleagues but to ‘the State’ — to all of us.

LANGUAGE in politics is important. The Government was keen to tell us that the details contained in Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe’s speech on Tuesday represented a “caring and responsible budget for a modern Ireland”.

Donohoe maintained his deliberately low key, steady, firm, imperturbable presence on budget day. A few weeks ago, at The Collins Institute, a Fine Gael thinktank, he laid out the reasons for that signature approach in a keynote speech, with the rather racy title of “Renewing the Centre”.