That’s what they write next to the election results in Germany. For example recently, in the state of Baden-Württemberg. Even days after the vote had ended and, presumably, everything had been counted several times over. “This is the preliminary, official, final result.” It’s a tiny detail but emblematic of German politics at large: never a statement without a hedge.
Any normal person will look at this and ask: “Well, what is it? Is it the preliminary result or the final one? And if it’s preliminary, how can it be official? Isn’t it only official once it’s final? Did the state sanction these without confidence? Or will they only be sanctioned once no longer preliminary?” The disclaimer provides zero answers but also—and this is the part politicians care about—plausible deniability.
No matter how you might attack the results, if they’re preliminary, official, and final all at once, you can thwart any contestation. Turn left. Turn right. Wherever the closest verbal escape hatch lies. It’s bullshit, of course, and it has harmed our political discourse across the globe tremendously, especially in the last two decades.
And though it has crept into many other areas, too, every now and then, examples still remind us: Actually, a few lines are all it takes to cut through the maybes. To live and act in reality, where consequences happen but can be dealt with. And to realize that most people are happy to support someone even when their ass is un-covered.
“This is what I believe in. I think this is the right way to do it.” “I was wrong. I apologize.” “I don’t know. I don’t have all the details yet. I will find them and report back.”
If you don’t have the results, don’t report them. If you do, stamp them and get them out the door. The preliminary, official, final result won’t help anyone, and life’s too short to hide behind probabilities.
