If ever there was a candidate for drawing up a sarcastic flow diagram, illustrating the use of circular logic to make a political argument, ‘How do you know if it’s a U-turn?’ is one. And, given that the coalition is being accused of U-turning at every [insert road-based cliché here], it might also be timely.
You see, a U-turn of pretty much any sort exists only in the mind of those opposed to a particular policy yet to be implemented, that has suddenly
changed into a slightly different policy yet to be implemented. If you’re a politician who isn’t in power, then a change by those in power represents
a ‘humiliation’ and ‘climb-down’, a ‘U-turn’.
On the other hand, if you’re in government, the change, naturally, represents ‘adult politics’ and proves that you ‘listen’. As I said, a flow diagram
would illustrate this perfectly. A U-turn depends on whether you answer ‘yes’ or ‘no’ to the question: ‘Are you in government?’.
It is, even if I do say so myself, a beautiful example of the disingenuous nature that’s so often present in political argument. One only has to look at what we call ‘changes’ by those not in power. You can’t U-turn in opposition. Instead, you engage in renewal, review and reassessment.
That might seem a bit odd, but it’s just politics.
The U-turn, as such, is little more than an illogical pejorative that defines the position of those of us who use it (guilty), rather than defining the target of the pejorative. All politicians, of whatever colour, have policies that change. After all, and as Heraclitus noted, change is the only constant. How you describe that change will depend on where you position yourself against the person making it, and whether the person making it is in power or not.
Phil Hendren blogs at dizzythinks.net
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