I’ve watched a number of Public Accounts Committee videos of Rupert Lowe questioning civil servants about spending. A notable aspect is the civil servant’s language where generalities, vague excuses and virtuous aspirations are used to evade damaging criticism.
The language also seems intended to evade what from a departmental perspective are high risk details. These are details which could presumably point to incompetence, waste and even theft or fraud. Otherwise, why the evasion? Perhaps because evasive language is also used internally as an alternative to confronting lax standards.
It can be uncomfortable to watch. Curiously amateurish too.
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