To the Editor,
Doublespeak, bafflegab or speaking in tongues is language that deliberately disguises, distorts, or reverses the meaning of words.
If you ever want to see this in action watch a council meeting; it is a form of communication that runs rampant. Once you catch on to it, it can either be amusing or just plain sad. It can also extend a council meeting significantly, unless of course the person posing a question really doesn’t want a direct answer.
One of the benefits of the taped council and committee of the whole meetings is they allow one to see numerous instances and allow for a level of transparency that is undeniable. I would like to see this taken a step further.
In 2013, prior to agreeing to continue holding and taping committee of the whole meetings at Shaw Auditorium, council approved wiring the committee meeting room at the city hall annex so that meetings could be taped. Might I suggest that now the rest of the equipment be installed and that all the various committee meetings, if not already, be held in the annex meeting room?
This would allow a far greater degree of transparency on the part of council as well as hopefully, knowing all meetings can be viewed by the public, a reduction of doublespeak, bafflegab or just plain speaking in tongues.
Gordon W. FullerNanaimo
