{"id":3298,"date":"2019-05-24T15:42:25","date_gmt":"2019-05-24T14:42:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.headlandconsultancy.com\/international\/?post_type=insight&p=3298"},"modified":"2023-01-18T18:57:51","modified_gmt":"2023-01-18T18:57:51","slug":"next-pm-ban-b-word","status":"publish","type":"insight","link":"https:\/\/www.headlandconsultancy.com\/international\/insight\/next-pm-ban-b-word\/","title":{"rendered":"The next PM should ban the B-word"},"content":{"rendered":"

Amidst the very many frustrations I felt listening to Theresa May\u2019s swan song outside Number Ten this morning, it was her expression of \u201chuge regret (that) I\u2019ve not been able to deliver Brexit\u201d that frustrated me the most \u2013 and not because the UK still hasn\u2019t left the European Union. <\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

It\u2019s because the word (or should I say, non-word), Brexit, is by now so loaded and tainted by all that has passed since the 2016 referendum that I don\u2019t believe any of the senior, supposedly grown-up leaders who actually have responsibility for delivering this process should be uttering it. <\/span><\/p>\n

We all know that words are dangerous, particularly for leaders, and so they must choose them very carefully. Theresa May made the decision early in her tenure as Prime Minister to tie herself tightly to the B-word with her now notorious phrase, \u201cBrexit means Brexit.\u201d Before then, yes it was used frequently by the media \u2013 it\u2019s brevity was helpful for fitting on front pages \u2013 and by UKIP for whipping up a populist storm but it was not, in my view at least, a serious word used by serious people until May took over in Downing Street. Whatever you think of David Cameron (and I know there will be many, many thoughts on that subject), the word Brexit did not appear in his resignation speech when he fell on his sword in the same spot, possibly at the same lectern, almost exactly three years ago. <\/span><\/p>\n

I could make a light-hearted argument here about why mashed together non-words are always a bad idea. Brangelina were doomed as a couple. Cronuts were a flash-in-the-pan patisserie fad. Sasda was destined never to become the nation\u2019s favourite supermarket etc. However, this is no laughing matter. The process by which we extricate ourselves from the decades-long agreement with the European Union is far too complex to be defined by a single, blunt term and this is where the words used by those tasked with that process are incredibly important. Instead, government needs to be consistently using phrases that accurately describe the reality of the task. There\u2019s a reason someone had the wisdom to call it the \u2018Department for Exiting the European Union\u2019. It may be a bit functional but the language used by grown-up people delivering something that is incredibly hard shouldn\u2019t be tabloid and it shouldn\u2019t bow to how other, louder but less involved people, define that project. <\/span><\/p>\n

Donald Trump ensured the phrase, \u2018fake news\u2019, became seared into public consciousness and parlance. It\u2019s interesting to see that Facebook \u2013 still right at the centre of the fake news storm \u2013 consistently talk about their efforts to \u201cfight false news and the people who traffick misinformation\u201d. Yes, they are going against the tide by doing so but it\u2019s a more accurate and responsible description of the challenge that faces their business and the actions they need to take. Steadfastly refusing to echo Trump\u2019s language also sends a very clear signal of difference between their business and the President\u2019s populist but divisive approach. Facebook, of course, have taken many missteps themselves on the topic but they are right in the way they talk about it. <\/span><\/p>\n

Those of us in communications know how important language is in these high-stakes and politically charged times. The general public largely think our trade is in glib taglines and irritating buzzwords but that couldn\u2019t be further from the truth. The work I do with business leaders and CEOs every day focuses totally on helping them find the right words to openly and honestly describe the work they do and help them take part in complex debates without resorting to mass generalisations or dangerously simple stereotypes. <\/span><\/p>\n

Surely that is the least we should expect from those people we entrust to run our institutions, our country and manage this exit process? That is why the new leader of the Conservatives, whomever they may be, would be wise to shun the word Brexit completely and start to reframe the conversation in a way that better befits the challenge and, frankly, the position of Prime Minister.<\/span>  <\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Amidst the very many frustrations I felt listening to Theresa May\u2019s swan song outside Number Ten this morning, it was her expression of \u201chuge regret (that) I\u2019ve not been able to deliver Brexit\u201d that frustrated me the most \u2013 and not because the UK still hasn\u2019t left the European Union. It\u2019s because the word (or […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":3300,"menu_order":0,"template":"","services":[29],"sectors":[],"class_list":["post-3298","insight","type-insight","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","services-public-affairs-and-policy"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"yoast_head":"\nThe next PM should ban the B-word - Headland International<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"It\u2019s because the word (or should I say, non-word), Brexit, is by now so loaded and tainted by all that has passed since the 2016 referendum.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The next PM should ban the B-word - Headland International\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"It\u2019s because the word (or should I say, non-word), Brexit, is by now so loaded and tainted by all that has passed since the 2016 referendum.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.headlandconsultancy.com\/international\/insight\/next-pm-ban-b-word\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Headland International\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2023-01-18T18:57:51+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.headlandconsultancy.com\/international\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/05\/Brexit-tall.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"640\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1280\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.headlandconsultancy.com\/international\/insight\/next-pm-ban-b-word\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.headlandconsultancy.com\/international\/insight\/next-pm-ban-b-word\/\",\"name\":\"The next PM should ban the B-word - 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