Now here's an award which won't have a long shortlist - a Plain English Award for MPs. In a few weeks time, the Plain English Campaign will be hosting an event in Westminster alongside an exhibition to announce the winning nominations in the following categories:
PLAIN ENGLISH CAMPAIGN AWARD FOR THE BEST MP USING LANGUAGE (WRITTEN OR TECHNOLOGY) FOR THEIR WORK
PLAIN ENGLISH CAMPAIGN AWARD FOR THE WORST MP USING GOBBLEDYGOOK FOR THEIR WORK
With those award titles, I think the Plain English Campaign deserve a nomination in the second category. They are now seeking nominations for the best or worst examples of MPs for either award. Please send nominations for either award by Nov 10th to info@plainenglish.co.uk and the final winners will be presented with their awards at a glittering Plain English Campaign dinner in December with Rory Bremner.
Labour MP Nick Palmer is sponsoring the awards event in Parliament and has also introduced a Small Print Bill.
So, which politician would you nominate for a Plain English award?
I have nominated Tom Harris
ReplyDeleteSurely it should be for "the MP using the best language and worst gobbledygook" - not best/worst MP.
ReplyDeleteSuperlative governing the activity not the person.
The meaning is completely different, depending on which variation is used.
So much for plain English campaign.
Best - John Redwood, done and dusted.
ReplyDeleteRuth Kelly's quite plain.
ReplyDeleteDennis Skinner.
ReplyDeleteBy the by, can we please also have correct English here, viz - "in a few weeks' time". Thank you.
Iain has made up these award titles. They are fibs.
ReplyDeleteI heard a great one yesterday.
ReplyDeletePartnership in local government:
You do what the contract says you should do and we'll pay you what the contract says we should pay you.
That will fox plain cymru and all that welsh
ReplyDeleteas well as Iain Paisly and all that gay lick
iain what about the mad as a brush award
ReplyDeletei nominate ...drum roll
...
CHRIS PAUL
Chris Paul said...
ReplyDelete"Iain has made up these award titles. They are fibs."
This is what the Plain English Campaign actually says on its website:
Plain English Campaign awards for MPs.
We invite all MPs and their staff to send us their nominations for the best (clearest) and worst (most ridden with gobbledygook) documents that they have seen this year in Parliament.
Despite Iain's comments, that seems very plain to me.
Naturally Chris sees a conspiracy in everything I do. The titles of the awards were direct quotes from an email sent to me by Nick Palmer's office.
ReplyDeleteWilliam Hague for best
ReplyDeleteRunner-up: Frank Field
Ed Balls for worst
Runner-up: Hillary Benn
The worst has to be The Rt Hon Gordon Brown MP.
ReplyDeleteBest is harder. Diane Abbot's 42 day speech was pretty concise.
Has to be Ann Widdecombe
ReplyDelete