Friday, February 12, 2016

Poirot Explains It All

I've been reading Agatha Christie's Hercule Poirot stories and came across this:

Sir George Conway proceeded weightily. Phrases fell easily from his lips- the extreme delicacy of the Government's position- the interest of the public- the solidarity of the Party- the necessity of presenting a united front- the power of the Press- the welfare of the country...

It all sounded well - and meant nothing. 

He [Poirot] steeled himself to endure patiently.  He felt, at the same time, a sympathy for Sir George Conway. The man obviously wanted to tell him something- and as obviously had lost the art of simple narration. Words had become to him a means of obscuring facts- not of revealing them. He was adept in the art of the useful phrase- that is to say the phrase that falls soothing on the ear and is quite empty of meaning.
-The Augean Stables from The Labors of Hercules by Agatha Christie (1940)
 And now I understand why I dislike politicians so strongly.


1 comment:

tristan said...

yup !