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October 20, 2006
Language
There has been an important discussion about use of language in official documents on Susan Hill's blog. Susan has now closed that entry but I should like to continue it here: it is a central theme on this blog
I have long observed that the weak use of language by Government officers is one of the greatest causes of poor public admninistration and inefficient use of public funds.
Susan's debate focussed on these two sentences published by the MLA this week:
'Museums, libraries and archives will ensure that the 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games are an inclusive event. They will engage with an emerging generation of young people, celebrate diversity and help deliver the best ever Games, sustaining a legacy for people in all regions.' One of Susan's correspondents correctly described this as a 'vision' statement- but that what mattered was what actions are proposed to fulfill that vision.
My comment is that a manager working in those three services could use these sentences as an excuse to do more or less anything and to use or apply for public funds to act in many ways that would accord with what appears to be called for. If their application (advocacy) for money is turned down they can reasonably say - 'our service is not properly funded to meet Government requirements.
Management statements of intent in the public sector need to be specific, exact, clear and comprehensible. The funding of what they imply needs to be understood and explained before they are made. Otherwise they are, in my view, irresponsible
Posted by Tim Coates at October 20, 2006 11:18 AM