EDITORIAL: A lesson in language from Tipperary

This week, the council passed a motion to call on the Government to consult them before accommodating asylum seekers in Tipperary.

This, they say, would allow them to flag issues with proposed sites, put resources in place and head off problems before they begin.

Unless you are the Government, you would think this a very reasonable request and perhaps one that should go without saying.

However, the more interesting part of the motion was the discussion on language.

The original motion put forward had asylum seekers in inverted commas and used the word secrecy when referencing the work of IPAS. An amended version passed.

Many a motion has fallen at Dáil level because of wording. Yet our council was able to find common-ground, grace and compromise.

The point is that if your aim is to create a fairer society where resources are plentiful and equitably distributed, then the words you use matter.

Reporters know this, neutrality is sort of our thing. Choosing your words more carefully allows everyone to make rational choices and work together regardless of their politics and feelings.

Everyone is working off an ideology, and the concept is not divorced from truth. But emotive language can feed fear and stigma. Especially, when it comes to people fleeing war, poverty and persecution.

Can you imagine leaving behind everything and everyone you have ever known to survive, children in tow and only the clothes on your back? What would you say if someone asked you if that was really necessary?

On Friday December 8, the family of Shane MacGowan used part of his funeral to encourage others to see people for who they are and not their circumstance, specifically those living with addiction.

Many have praised MacGowan’s way with words.

Musicians know that words matter, and on some level, so does the listener.

But as an Irishman who emigrated during the troubles, he was perhaps not always quite so welcome.

Maybe the times are not that different. Perhaps there is a lesson there.