Greg Evans
Sep 30, 2020
On Tuesday, Boris Johnson spoke at Exeter College in Devon where he presented the Tories Lifetime Skills Guarantee, which aims to train those who might have missed out on certain opportunities in the past.
This speech also saw the government unveil a new slogan that reads 'Build Back Better.'
Suffice to say it didn't go down too well on social media.
Today we’re launching the Lifetime Skills Guarantee, so that everybody can get the skills and training they need to… https://t.co/59RjF3BEVc— Boris Johnson (@Boris Johnson) 1601393447
They really are running out of ideas for slogans aren't they? #buildbackbetter #billsboughtbutter https://t.co/3ieHS6FakP— Alan Simpson 💙 (@Alan Simpson 💙) 1601376971
Oh ffs yer another Tory/Cummings empty slogan "Build Back Better" https://t.co/LAx0cqDt6x— Ian (@Ian) 1601410555
Boris appearing in front of the Build Back Better slogan on TV today. But whose is it? https://t.co/jfgySpPtAc— Ben Pile (@Ben Pile) 1601386304
However, if you search for 'build back better' on Twitter you will see a lot of tweets from the likes of Joe Biden, Kamala Harris and Nancy Pelosi that uses the exact same phrase.
So, what on earth is going on?
The truth is the economy wasn’t working for folks long before these crises hit. It’s why @KamalaHarris and I won’t… https://t.co/dj3dff1PKv— Joe Biden (@Joe Biden) 1601238000
Stopped by Flint, Michigan today with local leaders to visit Black-owned small businesses that are rebuilding from… https://t.co/0nTUJQYLyi— Kamala Harris (@Kamala Harris) 1600817507
Congrats to @JoeBiden on tonight’s debate. In Joe, Americans saw a real president, with the empathy, integrity & sc… https://t.co/3qO37G42c6— Nancy Pelosi (@Nancy Pelosi) 1601435611
Well, as it turns out neither the Tories nor the Democrats came up with this phrase.
It appears to have been something first envisioned during the 2015 UN conference in Japan when the Japanese delegation used that exact slogan.
It was eventually endorsed and incorporated by the UN General Assembly as an ideology to support and restore local infrastructure, culture and the environment. There is even a Wikipedia page for the slogan.
As the BBC's economics editor pointed out in a Twitter thread that everyone from Justin Trudeau to Keir Starmer has used this exact phrasing in very recent speeches and tweets.
Errrm. It’s Joe Biden’s actual campaign tag line launched two months ago??? https://t.co/FqrkMLvPtA— Faisal Islam (@Faisal Islam) 1601392813
Isnt Build Back Best, better? I see the CBI were using the phraseology back in May too. On this evidence, we might… https://t.co/72qs98Io17— Faisal Islam (@Faisal Islam) 1601393274
PM used phrase in a speech about climate change (though not as the branded tag line) in late May... but NY Governor… https://t.co/33v14X1ZSI— Faisal Islam (@Faisal Islam) 1601396213
Cornerstone of Layla Moran’s LD leadership campaign... https://t.co/HEvHrNdoqh— Faisal Islam (@Faisal Islam) 1601398946
Cornerstone of Layla Moran’s LD leadership campaign... https://t.co/HEvHrNdoqh— Faisal Islam (@Faisal Islam) 1601398946
Starmer, relatively early adopter of the phrase in context of Covid recovery: https://t.co/t9RpK2aaN8— Faisal Islam (@Faisal Islam) 1601399900
Manchester Mayor earliest reference though, in the context of UK - though Cuomo in NY seems to be the originator... https://t.co/OSMZ89K2yn— Faisal Islam (@Faisal Islam) 1601400233
Although the phrase has only been around for five years it already appears to have been overused to the point of tedium. Maybe it's a sign that we need to hit refresh on these tokenistic slogans once and for all.
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