Not in the context of chicken

[andrewducker]

[Poll #1679298]

context.

Comments

[ninebelow.livejournal.com]

I think reform has positive connotations if you are doing it and negative connotations if you are on receiving end.

[burkesworks.livejournal.com]

Positive in the context you quote, invariably negative when it comes from the DWP or the Home Office.

[coalescent.livejournal.com]

It's not just a connotation, it's the first definition.

[anton-p-nym.livejournal.com]

I voted negative connotation, but I think my reasons are somewhat idiosyncratic; a grass-roots protest party in Canadian federal politics called itself the Reform Party, which turned out to be slightly to the right of Attila. They extended a vacuole and engulfed the Progressive Conservatives when the PCs ruptured, and are now the head of a minority government... which I resent, as they've taken the PCs (who were often called Red Tories given how moderate their social policies were) into a more neo-conservative niche.

-- Steve does agree that the term "reform" does kinda connote that something's wrong with things as-is, and may honestly be perceived as a non-neutral term.

[momentsmusicaux.livejournal.com]

Depends who is saying it.

When it's the Tories -- eg today's stuff about DLA reform -- I instinctively worry.

[philmophlegm.livejournal.com]

A similarly loaded pair of words might be "progressive" and "regressive". In a general context, "progressive" surely is positive connotations, but when applied to taxation means just that higher earners pay a higher percentage of their income in taxation and lower earners pay a lower percentage. While some people may think this is good, others wouldn't. So the tax system (or individual taxes) can in theory be described as "progressive" or "regressive" without making clear that one is better than the other by whatever measure. However, how many politicians are going to want to be seen as supporting something that is "regressive"?

See my post here:
http://philmophlegm.livejournal.com/171247.html

[nmg.livejournal.com]

(x) Has both positive and negative connotations.

[danieldwilliam.livejournal.com]

Specifically in the context of electoral reform it's what it is. the campaign to extend the franchise and to alter voting systems has always been called the Reform movement.

Therefore I think, in this context it is neutral, in the same way that boot black and black balling are not racist.

Not calling electoral reform, electoral reform is like not calling that game where you try to move a round leather object from the middle of a field to one end mainly by using those things at the end of your legs, football.

Reform means to make again.

[robhu.livejournal.com]

A. If it does have a positive connotation then it's important to be cautious and avoid using it to describe something that there's a single issue referendum about.

B. If it does not have any positive connotation and really is neutral then there's no reason to get in a tizz about it.

I strongly suspect those campaigning against the BBC about this (who you've not linked to) want people to think B applies but clearly their campaign implies A is true.