Micheál wrestles with words and the words win

George Orwell once wrote a famous essay called ‘Politics and the English language. It’s an enlightening read in which he argues that  ‘prose consists less and less of words chosen for the sake of their meaning, and more and more of phrases tacked together like the sections of a prefabricated hen-house.’

George Orwell, thou should’st be living at this hour, because you’d have no bother tracking down confusing or even senseless political language. Like this from Micheál Martin:

“The fulcrum may change between London and Dublin in the fullness of time but the most important thing is that people can be comfortable in each other’s company in a very basic way, and live happily together through all the facets of life, and whatever political configurations enable that, will emerge.”

Some of us might respond by thinking “God but that Micheál is one smart fellah!”  Or you might decide that not just you but Micheál himself doesn’t  know what he is talking about.

You’ve probably noticed that word ‘fulcrum’.  That used to feature in the science lab when I was at school, and it meant the balancing or pivot point of a supported bar.  What Micheál means when he says the London-Dublin pivot point may change,  I have no idea. Does he mean that London is on the up now, but later it could be Dublin? And up where? In what sense ‘up’? Maybe up in a dominance sense: Britain at present is calling the shots for the six north-eastern counties here (NEI), but that could reverse in the future and we might just occupy six of their counties or ‘shires’  as they insist on calling them?

And what about ‘The fullness of time”? That  could mean sometime in the future, or at a time we can’t prophesy, or that  the relations will ripen to peak point and then sort of fall into our lap. Take your pick.

“People can be comfortable in a very basic way” Micheál hopes or maybe promises . Like with cushions or something, Micheál? Or would ‘very basic’ mean it’d have to be hard boards? And why would these  boards (or pillows) emerge only in the company of other people? And who are these other  people anyway?

“And live happily together through all the facets of life”.  That sounds more like a wedding vow to me, but I’m assuming Micheál has in mind something else. Maybe it’s that good old Alliance Party notion of being nice to each other and we’ll be grand?

“And whatever political configurations enable that, will emerge” OK, I’m guessing here, but might that mean something like “If we’re nice to each other we’ll be really really happy, and political structures will sort of grow around us, like beanstalks’ ?

Maybe all of this is just Micheál’s brain-breaking version of John Hume’s claim that what mattered was not the division between countries but the division between people?  Because if it is, he’s on a loser. The fact is, if we’re talking about Ireland, it’s the division within the country that divides people, not the other way round.

They used to refer to John Hume’s ‘single transferrable speech’, which he would off-load regardless of where he was or with whom. Maybe that’s the line Micheál is intent on adopting. Oh. Please, no, say it isn’t so, Micheál. I knew John Hume and I feel safe in saying Micheál, you’re no John Hume.