Plain speaking from the UK

Date: 11/06/1998

As part of the Fight The Fog campaign, translators are telling us all to KISS: Keep It Short and Simple.

However, Chrissie Maher, the redoubtable leader of the Plain English Campaign, uses a different acronym - GROT: Get Rid Of It. During a visit to Brussels last week, Maher issued a challenge which the Commission will find hard to refuse, inviting officials to submit a dozen of the institution's documents for scrutiny by her organisation by the end of the year.

In the UK, examples of plain language get a pat on the back and culprits of 'officialese' receive the dreaded golden bull, a tacky award which draws attention to the shortcomings of their prose. However, given the sensitivity in Brussels of all things beef-related, Entre Nous suggests the European version of the accolade should perhaps be given a different name.