soundbites

The relentless use of sound bites is damaging. People in the real world do not talk like that. People do want to hear a big idea boiled down to a short sentence - but they also want to see clear ideas underpinning the short sentence. There should be no confusion arising from a sound bite. There is a difference between tapping into the concerns of people and inventing a catchy phrase. Sadly, Labour seem to have a department dedicated to the catchy phrase and no mechanism for talking to people in ordinary places. So we are constantly assaulted by sound bites.
'Hard working families', 'cost of living crisis', 'tough on (whatever)' were repeated over and over again. We didn't need to be told about a cost of living crisis - we are living it. We didn't need to hear about 'hardworking families' we are those families. We don't want Labour to be 'tough on' anything. We wanted a positive inspirational message that tells us 'we're on your side'. 

Repetition of a sound bite doesn't make it more appealing; it makes it annoying. It sounds insincere It adds nothing to the discussion. 
Sound bites had their day in 1997 - people are wise to them now.  People understand that repeating the same thing over and over again renders it meaningless. They know you're saying it because you feel you have to - not because you actually believe it. 

Sound bites are analysed, picked apart and denounced by other political parties and by the journalists and commentators. And whats worse, when someone tries not to talk in soundbites, words are picked up - out of context - and presented as a sound bite then criticised to the nth degree. 

.'Hardworking families' is a sound bite. After a day, it began to grate on the nerves of even hardworking families. A bit like 'aspiration'.