Two plus two equals five

[brokenfountain]

The cosy commentariat is getting very exercised by the government's apparent plan to bring forward a 'Rwanda Is Definitely Safe Bill' in this parliamentary session. The sole purpose of this legislation would be to take a basic concept - safety - with a definition that is generally understood, and brazenly redefine it for ideological ends.

In a Guardian article, Adam Wagner from Doughty Street Chambers is quoted, 'So the government can legislate to say two plus two is five but it doesn't make two plus two equal five. They can legislate to say actually Rwanda is safe; it doesn't make Rwanda safe...'

Well indeed. I am pleased that people are cottoning on to this ruse, although it could certainly be argued that Doughty Street Chambers have considerable form for arguing precisely that two plus two equals five when it comes to the definition of other basic, generally understood concepts.

People will do almost anything to protect themselves from the discomfort of cognitive dissonance, but there's definitely a crack in the facade opening up here. I'm just waiting for some of our favourite TA journalists to rush headlong into the trap.

This is precisely what they have already done by legislating that men can be women

Yes, that was my point.

And possibly also that anyone thinking that the Tories are capable of offering any kind of epistemological coherence, whether under Sunak, Badenoch, or anybody else, may be mistaken.

I expect plenty of commentators who consider themselves progressive will take issue with this legislation. Worth asking them why this redefinition of words is any different to the one they often express support for and won't debate, because there is fundamentally no difference.

The government is trying to teach us the important lesson that no matter what courts say, they will do what they want anyway. We will learn not to waste money on courts trying to get them to behave.