Mea Culpa: how can we be sure that Donald Trump won’t come back?

Questions of language and style in last week’s Independent

Surely not? (Getty Images)

In an editorial on the congressional committee looking into the 6 January 2021 insurrection at the US Capitol, we wrote: “The continual reminders of the lunacies of the final days of his presidency will not reflect well on Mr Trump, and will surely harm his chances of a comeback in 2024.”

That word “surely” is one of my red flags. I think it usually marks the point at which a writer makes a jump in an argument that is unsupported by the evidence, and often marks a switch from what is to what ought to be. The Independent does not believe the hearings will reflect well on the former president, but the “surely” indicates more of a hope than an expectation. Personally, I hope we are right, but I fear that we are not.

Nothing so ex as an ex-minister: We referred to Philip Hammond as an “ex-Tory chancellor” and then an “ex-cabinet minister” last week, as Philip Nalpanis pointed out. I think most readers would have known what we meant, but the “ex-hyphen” formula, although it is often used because it is short, is best avoided.