Musings on the misuse of language - it's a matter of scale

I was on my way to Potsdam this evening, when I was shaken from my gaze out of the window by the announcement of our next halt, Wannsee.

It's quite a pretty place, on the bank of a largish lake, but is perhaps famous for being the location for what is probably the most infamous planning and administrative meeting in history. For those who have not studied history, it was at Wannsee that the 'Final Solution' to the Nazis' 'Jewish problem' was agreed, leading to the deaths of millions of people whose sole mistake was to be deemed to be of a religion determined to be a threat to the German race.

In our political discourse, we often see the word 'evil' used in an almost throwaway manner - the Guardian's comments sections are riddled with it, usually aimed as an individual politician, or a political party, or a specific policy, as though it is intended to cause pain and suffering, perhaps death, to those affected. And, of course, it isn't. We simply don't live in a country like that, and even those perceived to be on the lunatic fringe of British politics wouldn't publicly call for such consequences.

Most, if not all, mainstream politicians understand that, especially when money is tight, there will be those who lose out because of the impact of a policy decision. Sometimes, they are so blinded by ideology that they fail to consider, or do not want to consider, the negative impact of their legislative and administrative acts. But it is seldom deliberate, or made where they know that there is a less damaging option.

And yet we continue to bandy around the 'E' word because it seems improbable at best that our opponents do what they do because they think it best, because their solution fits within a philosophical underpinning that is broadly consistent.

So, if I might be so bold to ask, the next time you look to cast accusations of evilness, remember this - there is real evil in this world, where almost unimaginable cruelty is inflicted on people because they happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, and have done nothing to merit it. That, my friends, is evil and we shouldn't belittle it by lumping it together with the politics of austerity.