The staff of Jacob Rees-Mogg received
a style guide that prompted some confusion
about rules, such as No comma after ‘and’?
and a list of banned words and phrases.
(You might call some of his old-style
rules “no longer fit for purpose”
if that phrase weren’t on the list.)
I note/understand your concerns
as you try to ascertain why
certain words are listed, such as
equal and invest (in schools etc)
which might cause one to speculate
as words have been banned before
to hinder one side of an ongoing
conversation or debate.
As for the rest, many are banned
due to vagueness and overuse
as some people use them a lot
such as, I am pleased to learn,
Mr. Rees-Mogg, himself,
who has very often (over 700 times)
broken his own rules in Parliament.
Imagine when he saw that number: 700
and tweets of mock disappointment
teasing: “So, these are unacceptable
but you, yourself, use them all…”
…and, with a squint, he glanced
sideways at the mirror, to meet with
his reflection, muttering half-hopefully
“I didn’t. I-I-I wouldn’t. I-I… Did I?”
Then, with a half-reflective wink:
“You’ll just need to CHECK that
for a little while. You’ve got this.”
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Linda Eve Diamond is an award-winning poet whose work has appeared in Grey Sparrow Press, Encore: Prize Poems, Leaping Clear, Your Daily Poem, and others.
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