Month: May 2016

Language Matters

Politics and The English Language: A New Look

Posted on May 26, 2016 by in Language Matters

George Orwell’s essay Politics and the English Language still resonates with readers today, and was part of the inspiration behind the founding of Prism­-Clarity.

Here we take a new look at this seminal piece and why it is still so relevant.

The argument is that language and politics are inseparable: politics is language and language is politics. Thought corrupts language, and language corrupts thought.

The message is that going back to clear English not only transforms bad writing into good, but helps clean things up more generally.

Maybe in other parts of professional or business life, not just politics. Maybe even in banking.

Language Matters
NorwichForum

20 Tips For Writing Clear English

Posted on May 26, 2016 by in Language Matters

In an earlier blog I talked about George Orwell’s essay Politics and the English Language, which set out some of the author’s ideas about clear English.

This new blog has 20 further tips on how to write in a clear Orwellian style.

Here I reclaim the word Orwellian, and use it only positively, the essence of good writing and clear English.

This blog extends Orwell’s rules, and tries to pin down what we mean by that, using writing techniques Orwell might have approved of.

Finance Matters

Good Documentation Matters for Financial Firms

Posted on May 26, 2016 by in Finance Matters

Good documentation still matters for firms in the financial sector in this online age. This blog explains why.

There is so much more riding on it now. More complexity to explain. More choice for the consumer to get her head around. More personal accountability for executives, non executives and public officials.

More risk, more threats, with more potency, that governments, regulators, firms and consumers need to understand and mitigate.

Clarity is the key to that understanding and mitigation.

Good documentation delivers the clarity we need to make the right choices and navigate the complexity.

Finance Matters
Curve

What Do You Do All Day? Banks, Capital and More

Posted on May 26, 2016 by in Finance Matters

This blog tries to answer some very simple questions on what banks do and why; and what those of us involved with bank capital, regulation and governance actually do all day; and why.

This doesn’t just mean high street banks but the broad definition of bank: wholesale banks, brokers, investment firms, funds, advisory boutiques, etc.

One way or another they’re all doing intermediation between people who need capital and people who supply capital. Which in economic terms is what it’s all about.

There are huge simplifications in this story but I hope you will bear with them. It is based on an imaginary conversation with an inquisitive pre-teen who I bet now wishes he had never asked the question…