Prorogation and the politics of the English language

Funny how language changes over time. Or rather, how we change language to advance our agenda.

Sometimes it’s a natural process, a long process – what works survives and what’s easy thrives. The word ‘smart’ originated as something to describe pain or a stinging sensation. The ‘sting’ associated with the word moved to an understanding of ‘quickness’ or ‘intensity’, and is now used today to describe intelligence and wit. ‘She’s the smart one on those benches’ we might utter, to spark fierce debate and disagreement in these politically tumultuous times.

‘Smug’ started out with surprisingly positive connotations, used to describe those who took care of their appearance, coming across tidy and well kept. No longer a rousing endorsement of someone’s character, it’s become an insult of fairy large proportion, levelled at the commentator on the news round-up you never agree with.

Even ‘fun’ – something totally absent in politics these days – has morphed into something with essentially the opposite meaning of its current use.