The Process Was Followed (with Tim Shipman)
4/23/202624 min
Tim Shipman steps out of a busy week in Westminster to talk Armando through the language of political crises.
Whether "time will tell", or "the matter has been dealt with", we decode what these phrases you will hear from politicians this week really mean. Looking at recent examples, from Brexit to Partygate and beyond, what causes these crises, and how does the communication - and indeed the messenger - make it better or worse?
Armando imagines an inquiry into the sinking of the Titanic, Tim clears things up by making things more complicated, and we also hear his sweary sliding scale of scandal, which will make you yearn for a good old-fashioned omnishambles.
We also look at the local elections, and why every party turns these multi-faceted choices into a 'referendum' on a particular subject.
Got a strong message for Armando? Email us at strongmessagehere@bbc.co.uk
Sound editing: Chris Maclean Production Coordinator: Asha Osborne-Grinter Executive Producer: Pete Strauss Recorded at the Sound Company
Produced by Gwyn Rhys Davies. A BBC Studios production for Radio 4.
Clips
Transcript preview
First 90 secondsArmando Iannucci· Host0:00
[upbeat music] Hello, and welcome to Strong Message here from BBC Radio 4, a guide to the use and abuse of political language. I'm Amanda Niuchi, and I'm joined once again this week by Tim Shipman, political editor of The Spectator.
Tim Shipman· Guest0:15
Hello.
Armando Iannucci· Host0:16
Uh, the phrase we're gonna look at this week is, "The process was followed." Not our most exciting phrase we've looked at, but one that has, um, bestrode this week like a colossus, if [chuckles] a slightly admin-based one. Uh, we'll be helping you, uh, decode the political language of a turbulent week. I have to give my usual, uh, caveat disclaimer that we record these on a Tuesday. This goes out on a Thursday, so goodness knows what might have happened by then. Do you have any ideas, Tim? Have you got any guesses?
Tim Shipman· Guest0:49
I mean, who knows?
Armando Iannucci· Host0:50
Who knows?
Tim Shipman· Guest0:50
[laughs] I think that, you know- Okay ... the Prime Minister is in the midst of a storm.
Armando Iannucci· Host0:54
Yes.
Tim Shipman· Guest0:54
It feels like the boat hasn't capsized yet, but- Yeah ... anything's possible.
Armando Iannucci· Host0:59
I've got a big Titanic analogy that I'm gonna wield later on. Um, who knows could also be the kind of sub-subtitle of, of what's been going on this week.
Tim Shipman· Guest1:09
Time will tell is another political cliché when people don't want to commit themselves- Okay.
Armando Iannucci· Host1:13
Yes ...
Tim Shipman· Guest1:13
particularly, uh, querulous journalists whose predictive powers have proved fallible in the past.
Armando Iannucci· Host1:18
Right. Time will tell. Well, we'll look out for that one. So if, when somebody says time will tell, we should move on then, shouldn't we?
Tim Shipman· Guest1:23
De-definitely move on.
Armando Iannucci· Host1:24
Right.
Tim Shipman· Guest1:24
That just means I haven't got the kahunas to tell you what I really think.
Armando Iannucci· Host1:28
[chuckles] Before we go get right stuck in,