Institutional Baloney.

I am filled with admiration for politicians and civil servants. Sometimes, foolishly, when asked a question, I blurt out a mere "yes" or "no", when I could instead say that "it is hard for me to draw any conclusion without the full facts in front of me".

Enter the civil servant. When faced with the news that black pupils are apparently treated worse in schools, we get the response that "It is not helpful to use the R-word". I see this as the culmination of a glorious age of bureaucracy, and plan to adopt the non-answering-of-questions approach in future when I attend any incident.

For example:
Member of Public: Can I park here?
PC Bloggs: It is not for me to divulge the locations for legitimate deposition of vehicles, but the remit of the local authority. Kindly address your postulations to them.

MOP: Isn't it a bit early to be arresting a child?
PC Bloggs: There would be no worthwhile purpose in providing temporal justification for the deprivation of liberty of juvenile transgressors.

MOP: You're having a laugh.
PC Bloggs: I am unable to comment on the current status of my humour.

In the above article, the Department for Education and Skills successfully provides several lines of comment without saying a single thing that is constructive, relevant or even understandable. I suppose it wouldn't be helpful to use the Load-of-B-word.

Of course no one can B-word like Sir Humphrey:

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