Once normality is restored and Scotland is once again an independent country, able to do its own thing, there should be plenty of work for historians to look back at the dying days of Unionism and the use of language in its propaganda.
After reading of more laden bias from the pages of the Hootsman on the Spooksters blog
http://advancedmediawatch.blogspot.com/2009/05/more-censorship-and-biased-reporting.html
I thought I'd go an see if there were any results from the Bannockburn cooncil byelection, A quick search and I discovered the beeb report, no results yet, just that it was taking place.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/tayside_and_central/8026700.stm
I read the article, and was drawn to the last paragraph which contained the following:
"The Nationalists seized control of the local authority in March last year following a vote of no confidence in the ruling Labour group."
Now the use of 'nationalists seized control' sounded familiar to the reporting of the SNP assuming control of Dundee City Council in March when the 70 something Labour Lord Provost decided it was unfair that the largest party on the council had no chairs of any of the council committees and voted with the SNP. Nationalists seize control was the appelation de jour then.
Another search finds this term is most often used historically, during armed uprising, with lives lost on both sides of a struggle. More often than not it is used in the context of 'evil' right wing groups usurping the popular mandate of a democratically elected government, other cases apply to the fall of Ceaucescu in Romania etcetera.
When there is democratic change and Labour become the party in power this is more commonly referred to as "Labour take control" or "Labour win".
Odd isn't it? As I say, a lot of truth and reconciliation once the smooth transition takes place.
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10 comments:
Monty - yes there is media bias, but let's not get paranoid,
"Nastionlists Sieze Control " will do me just fine - as long as we do!
Not odd at all, Monty, if you follow the media trend in Scotland for the past decade. I challenged one of the Scotsman journalists about this and he said that the Scotsman was always critical of the Government in power. He was unable to reply when I asked him to show examples of their criticism of the Westminster Government.
Ahoy Monty.. Excellent article. Yes the unionist media do have that knack of using the more extreme words when describing any SNP victory as if it were some sort of blooded war.
I mind my Dad (a blue nose conservative)going on about that "dreadful woman" Helen Liddle and her using of the word "separatists" when describing the SNP. "Dangerous woman" he said..
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/tayside_and_central/8028467.stm
Stats, lies, opinion polls. Then actual elections.
There's a long long way to go.
The BBC have used the term 'siezed' wrt the SNP a few times since Dundee. I think they are doing it deliberately to wind folk up after there were quite a few complaints about it.
Alan, let's not get paranoid? Prof Greg Philo at Glasgow Uni's 'Glasgow Media Group' did a well regarded analysis of emotive language in political propaganda in the early 1990's.
'Seizing control' is one of those phrases we have allowed to enter into the lazy journalistic lexicon. It suggests aggression, violence, death, victims, conflict. Any thesaurus will couple it with grasp, snatch, grapple, grip, pinch, enclose, enfold, lay hands on etcetera.
Paranoia? I'd only be paranoid if I gave credence to the suggestion that you're a agent provocateur for Thames House...
http://www.ofcom.org.uk/complain/progs/other/
Snatch control?
Sounds useful.
I suppose the BBC would characterize Broon's seizing control of the Labour party as "ascending" to the position?
Tsk, Scunnert, as we all know it was a smooth transition of power, with nary a fraught moment in a sea of calmest tranquillity.
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