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EDs: South Australian Opposition Leader Isobel Redmond has banned swearing in Liberal party meetings. Here she explains why.

I am somewhat surprised at the level of interest in my anti-swearing stance.

Swearing is for members of the ALP, not Liberals. Cartoon: Jon Kudelka

It’s not that I’m a prude – I don’t expect that people will never swear. Indeed, I’ve been know to utter the odd expletive myself. But in the workplace and especially in my workplace the Parliament, I take the view that it is inappropriate.

As politicians, we are elected to represent other people in the ultimate democratic forum – our parliament. I believe we should be conscious of that at all times. To that end, I have insisted throughout my parliamentary career, that appropriate language be used when in the Chamber, in Committee meetings, Shadow Cabinet or Joint Party meetings.

If people want to swear the rest of the time – that’s their choice; I can walk away. But when we are engaged in our various official capacities it seems to me not too much to ask that appropriate language be used.

Besides, I do think that the over use of the ‘f’ word, in particular, is both unnecessary and intellectually lazy. Our language is rich and ever-evolving. Words can inspire us, and move us to tears. But in recent years the over-acceptance of the ‘f’ word as the generic adjective has, I think, diminished our command of the language.

Sir Robert Menzies didn’t swear. He was a master of the put-down with no need of swearing. For instance – when heckled by an audience member “Tell us everything you know Bob; it won’t take long” he replied “Sir, I shall tell them everything we both know and it won’t take any longer.” How much more eloquent is that, than if he’d simply told his heckler to “f-off”.

So it’s not that I think people should never swear, and not that I can hope to stem the tide. It is simply that I think there is a better way.

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16 comments

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- Peter says:
  
  09:18am | 27/07/09
  
  Good article. Agreed 100%. These people are supposed to maintain a certain standard. Alas those standards seem to be lowering by the year.
  
  Reply
- Peter says:
  
  09:57am | 27/07/09
  
  Nothing is more entertaining than hearing someone who has a good command of the English language as per the above example. In fact the put down argument such as the need to curse (swearing) and belittle displays on the part of the person doing such a thing a lack of character. Sadly many of our politicians and others in positions of authority are wanting as are many in the entertaining industries. Gordon Ramsey may be a skilled cook but he turned me off watching any of his shows right from his promo adds. In fact I would rather listen to an oldie having a good yarn about their life experiences and often those experiences are so rich they have no need to colour them with cursing.
  
  Reply
- Dave says:
  
  11:15am | 27/07/09
  
  Good on ya Isobel. Wise words from a good leader. Swearing is unnecessary, slovenly behaviour, completely inappropriate for the workplace. Granted, there is a place for swearing in life, and it can in fact be delivered eloquently as part of a considered and developed soliloquy, but 99.9% of the time it is used by slack-jawed folk who, as Isobel describes, are being lazy.
  
  Reply
- Morgan says:
  
  11:32am | 27/07/09
  
  Bloody hell! This is the first time in I-don’t-know-how-long that a politician has actually made any sense.
  Well done, Ms Redmond, but I feel that trying to raise the standard of behaviour in parliament - where the members are called “Honourable” but prefer to not be so - may become one of those typical insurmountable tasks.
  
  Reply
- Mark Muller says:
  
  12:15pm | 27/07/09
  
  I have a reasonable vocabulary; I enjoy the nuance and shade swearing brings to it. As Elizabeth bloody Browning wrote:
  
  “How do I curse thee? Let me count the f#$%ing ways….”
  
  Reply
- CJ says:
  
  12:18pm | 27/07/09
  
  All depends on the character, I reckon. Sure, you wouldn’t expect Menzies to swear, but you’d be disappointed if Bob Hawke didn’t. I don’t think Hawke was less of a communicator because of it. Sounds to me like you are indeed a prude Isobel. I also fancy you are but a flyspeck on the great windscreen of politics and that this politicians-as-schoolkids nonsense will go away as soon as you do.
  
  Reply
- Stefan Slucki says:
  
  01:40pm | 27/07/09
  
  I think it’s indicative of many, in the meejah’s love-affair with vulgar, power-crazed, freaks, that this aspect of Isobel’s interviews have received SO MUCH attention. However, the feedback she’s getting is approval and rightly so! I’m sick and tired of the grotty, sleezy, destructive and moronic use of demeaning and obnoxious language in public. There’s not a day that I walk through Rundell Mall that I don’t hear blasphemy and profanity of all kinds and that certainly should be discouraged in formal fora. A big tick to Isobel for saying so.
  
  Reply
- davido says:
  
  05:19pm | 27/07/09
  
  Who gives a f***. Go on you ****s and print that!
  
  [Eds note: Sorry Davido - family website and all that]
  
  Reply
- Shane from Melbourne says:
  
  06:43pm | 27/07/09
  
  You want to ban the f-word? Fiscal discipline? Forward thinking? Fast decision making? Help me out Isobel…..
  
  Reply
- Julie Coker-Godson says:
  
  09:31pm | 27/07/09
  
  I think Isobel is right and I’ve always taken the view that swearing during an argument lessens any points the debators may be trying to make and that, indeed, one or other may well lose the argument/debate as a result. Apart from that, it sounds truly awful and I wish people would take the time to listen to themselves.
  
  Reply
- red square says:
  
  10:47pm | 27/07/09
  
  Nobody else can swear these days, so they should be leading by example.
  
  Reply
- Shelley says:
  
  10:53pm | 27/07/09
  
  It’s called evolution in communication. I point out to you that you have used a computer on a public media website to communicate your piece, written in the modern English language. No quill and ink on parchment. Nor have you used Latin, or some other near dead language. Swearing is here to stay. r u up 4 it?
  
  Reply
- davido says:
  
  02:22am | 28/07/09
  
  HaHaHa….Kudos to the punch!
  
  I love to swear, and I am not hypocritical about it. So all you living anachronisms can go ***k yourselves. (Work done for you ED. You my main man (or chick!))
  
  Love your work JCG ! You dont like to swear but you have no problems besmirching someone’s character without any reasonable or specific grounds. You are a champ!
  
  OMG - just read the history of the word f*** and, given its long long history, it turns out I AM THE anachronism!
  
  Reply
- johnno says:
  
  02:48am | 28/07/09
  
  I am a lawyer and I work with words every day. I have one undergraduate degree and two postgraduate degrees. Words are my life!
  
  It is almost 2am in the morning and I have just finished reading a case on defamation [SANDS v CHANNEL SEVEN ADELAIDE PTY LTD & ANOR [2009] SASC 215]. Fascinating but flawed in many ways. The judgment was 536 paragraphs short and referred to some 207 footnotes.
  
  All that effort when all his honour needed to say was YOUR F*****
  
  Reply
- casey says:
  
  03:03pm | 28/07/09
  
  Johnno: *you’re
  
  You may love words, but you clearly don’t respect them.
  
  Reply
- Julie Coker-Godson says:
  
  07:27pm | 28/07/09
  
  @Davido: “Love your work JCG ! You dont like to swear but you have no problems besmirching someone’s character without any reasonable or specific grounds. You are a champ!”
  Question: Upon what acts, facts and circumstances do you rely in making the accusation that I have besmirched a person’s character. Please cite all specific incidents including date, time and place”. If you cannot do that then I suggest you take a Bex and have a good lie down angry ant.
  
  Reply