You Say Tomatoe, I Say Tomato ...

You know, calling a piece of legislation Welfare to Work is a great illustration of George Lakoff's theories of framing and how it is used to swing the debate around to the conservative way of seeing things. According to Lakoff, whichever side frames an issue in the most persuasive manner is the side that determines whether that issue makes it on to the popular agenda. Frame a nasty issue in a nice way - happy public! Frame a nasty issue in a nasty way - cranky public! Observe ...

From the SMH:

Almost 200,000 people would be moved from parenting and disability payments to the dole over the next three years under the Government's welfare to work changes, a Senate committee was told today.

Opposition workforce participation spokeswoman Senator Penny Wong said thousands of people would be worse off under the new system.

"This is the total number of people who would be worse off by 2008," Senator Wong said.

But the department's deputy secretary Graham Carters defended the change.

"They are not worse off ... there will be a change of eligibility for payment which will impact on them," Mr Carters told the committee.

Phew ... well thank goodness that's been cleared up then!