Discourse Toolbox
- uses in politics, lobbying and the media

In general, I am tired of the debating, commentating and campaigning which fill the mass media. This Discourse Toolbox project has been developed partly because of its potential to develop agreed and definitive answers to questions like "What are they thinking of to say that ?" and "What are they really saying ?".

I have tried my best to be impartial and to understand why things are the way they are - the historical, political, economic and psychological dimensions of food and food production, as these aspects are often lost in polarised and issue-based debates. There are no worthwhile single-issue campaigns any more.

However, despite this purist view, which I can afford in my own work, I am available to use my skills and techniques in the public arena (though I would continue to aim at clarity and impartiality)

My Discourse Toolbox could be used in the following fields:-

1. Lobbying. It is essential to understand "What the Government thinks"- influencing their thoughts might be more effective than campaigning against their policies !
2. Aims and Objectives. An organisation may develop Aims and Objectives, but if they do not correspond to the context in which they are operating, they will not succeed.
3. Motivation. Discourse Analysis can give a deep understanding of "How they think" and "What motivates them". This could be used to evaluate corporate culture, as one example.
4. Weaknesses. Using the Dispositive can give information about where an organisation or individual has "papered over the cracks" of reality. This information about weaknesses could help to realign their efforts to solve their problems.

While I have generally tried to write for the "man in the street" (see note), I have also written a few words for specialist audiences to explain how these ideas can be of use to them
For potential clients in business or politics - I am available for commissions to analyse texts and policies
For the media - I would be happy to use these techniques for your readership
For Theosophists and those on spiritual or psychological paths - I think discourse has great potential value as a better description of the way our minds operate, and how conditioning functions

(note - I am sorry if some people will find "the man in the street" to be sexist language, but this is one of the hazards of the realm of discourse - all language is loaded. To me, "the man in the street" is a livelier form, and a normal British metaphor, I have used " " to show I am using it ironically and not with an intention to exclude women. Other options would be
"the ordinary person" - I think this is demeaning - would it signal that I thought I was superior ?
"the average person" - is a possiblity
"the person in the street" - I think person makes everyone "unisex" and it is clumsy)

Please contact me if you are interested in any of these services - George McNamara - 01372 749803

(0044)(0) 1372-749803