Stuart's Daily Word Spot: Vacillate

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Vacillate: verb - sway or swing unsteadily; in unstable equilibrium, oscillate, stagger, vary, fluctuate; waver between different opinions, options, actions; indecisive.

'There is a perception, amongst those of a fixed political view, that the Liberal Democrats vacillate on most points of policy; this is false, of course, as they merely tend to take the middle path, rather than either of the offered extremes in most things.'

25 October 1961 Private Eye was published for the first time. I doubt Ian Hislop, the current editor, was even around at that time. It’s been responsible for deflating many a political and celebrity ego along the way. Long may it continue to do so.

Stuart's Daily Word Spot: Whether or if?

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Whether or if?

These two conjunctions are more or less interchangeable. However, 'whether' is generally used in more formal writing. And 'if' gives a better idea that possibility or probability is involved with the alternatives on offer.

So:

'Whether you vote Labour or Conservative will make no difference to your life: both parties will screw you unless you're part of the club.'

'If you vote Labour, you can feel that you've tried to be socially responsible, but if you vote Conservative, you'll have to accept you've displayed no social conscience. Of course, the reality is that neither vote will improve matters for you, unless you belong to the small group making the decisions.'

 

Stuart's Daily Word Spot: Fabian

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Fabian: noun - member of the Fabian Society, or a sympathizer with its ideals: adjective - pertaining to the manner of the cautious and delaying tactics employed by Roman general, Fabius Maximus; to wear out an enemy; pertaining to a socialist society founded in 1884, which advocates a policy of cautious and gradual political change.

For this definition, I felt I could do no better than include the introduction from the Fabian Society's own website:

The Fabian Society has played a central role for more than a century in the development of political ideas and public policy on the left of centre. Analysing the key challenges facing the UK and the rest of the industrialised world in a changing society and global economy, the society's programme aims to explore the political ideas and the policy reforms which will define progressive politics in the new century.

The society is unique among think-tanks in being a democratically-constituted membership organisation. It is affiliated to the Labour Party but is editorially and organisationally independent. Through its publications, seminars and conferences, the society provides an arena for open-minded public debate.

All Labour Prime Ministers have been members of the Fabian Society, while the Young Fabians have been influential in creating debate and as an arena for young people with an interest in politics to both influence and learn from influential political figures.

I must tell you, though, I have no affiliation to or connection with the Fabian Society. In fact, I think party politics is the antithesis of democracy and polarises opinion in the most unhelpful way. In a distortion of Groucho Marx's words, 'I wouldn't join any political party that would have me as a member.'