- The Guardian
- Issue #2148
Capability
This word is weaselly because if you say it, you can sound like you’re getting ready to do something worthwhile without having to explain what it is that you’re capable of. Anthony Albanese, trying to reassure the media that he’s warlike enough, has said that he will “continue to provide for investing in our capability.” No, he’s not interested in making dental treatment free or funding schools properly. The capability he’s keen on is wasting money on military equipment.
Law and rules
Richard Marles, Defence Minister and lover of having two expensive offices when he only needs one, says that Australia has “worked with the United States and other countries … to see that the way in which countries engage with each other is not based on a question of might and power, but rather on the basis of law and rules.” He doesn’t say whose law and whose rules, but it happens to be the USA on account of their might and power.
Staunch
Staunch’ sounds great. It implies that Australia is loyal and tough, like Robin Hood’s mate Little John. What Australia has been is super-sycophantic, already in the air asking “Is this high enough?” before the USA has had time to say ‘Jump!’.
Decision space
Proving that even incompetent far-right nutbags can do near meaningless corporate-speak, US Defence secretary Pete Hegseth says his job is to “create and maintain decision space for President Trump.”
If this means anything, does it mean he doesn’t know what Trump wants because Trump doesn’t know? Perhaps it means he’s not going to say anything Trump might look silly contradicting. We’re not sure, because one thing Hegseth isn’t great at is creating meaning space.
Restrictive
This is one of those true-as-long-as-you-agree-with-the-premise weasel words. In this case the premise is that anything that keeps employers from doing whatever they like to workers is like tying the bosses up in a bondage outfit. Australian Financial Review columnist and business lobby fan Jennifer Hewett has bemoaned “restrictive industrial relations changes” like multi-employer bargaining. The poor dears, we hope they can still breathe.
Brittle
There’s been a rare dust-up between the Labor government and the Australian Strategic Policy Institute. ASPI isn’t happy with the amount Australia is spending on armaments and troops and has accused Albanese of leaving our military brittle. If we spent the amount ASPI is after, the rest of the country would be as brittle as a tooth that has to go.
‘Hard truths’
What makes hard truths weaselly is that the speaker usually doesn’t find them hard at all. After being rebuked by Albanese for being ‘predictable,’ (see ‘brittle’) ASPI director Justin Bassi said that his job is to “deliver hard truths” to the government. ASPI’s call for the government to waste more on military spending that it is already might have peeved the PM, but it’s not true that Australia needs more money thrown away on preparations for war. As for ‘hard,’ dishing out this sort of advice is as hard for ASPI as barking at cats is for dogs.
Meritocracy
Most of our weasel words are non-weaselly if used in good faith. This one is pretty much always weaselly – used to hide all the wheeling and dealing that goes on when someone gets a job.
UK Tory leader Kemi Badenoch says her shadow cabinet “draws on the talents of people from across the Conservative party, based on meritocracy,” as though nobody owes anyone else any favours. Besides, if a genuine ‘meritocracy’ were possible for a shadow cabinet, it wouldn’t include any Tories at all.
