Information management in non-cooperative talk

This paper contributes to an understanding of the pragmatics of political discourse in conflict situations through an in-depth analysis of selected aspects of reference and meta-reference in two transcripts belonging to a larger corpus of political discussion programmes recorded during the British general elections in 1997. The first interview is with Donald Dewer, at the time Shadow Chief Whip; it focuses on Labour’s proposal for constitutional reform, in particular on the question of devolution (the establishment of parliaments for Scotland and Wales, assemblies for English regions, etc.). The second interview is with Martin McGuinness, spokesman for Sinn Fein, widely regarded as the political wing of the IRA; the interview in question focuses on the conditions needed to achieve a cease-fire in Northern Ireland and to bring the various parties involved in the conflict to the negotiating table. The Dewer interview is representative of the interaction that typically takes place in this talk show context between the audience, moderator and exponents of recognised political forces (members of the Conservative, Labour and Liberal Democrat parties). The McGuinness interview, instead, although taking place within the same setting and thus subject to similar expectations about the norms governing interaction, presents itself as a highly charged instance of “inter-institutional/inter-cultural” talk.