无言是上策
民主政治源远流长,经营百年才能略具格局。世界透亮,政治舞台照明甚强,台上出丑,翻身不易。西方政客训练有年,代代相传,深谙个中三昧,随时喜怒哀乐,七情应声上脸,众生颠倒。中国大陆和台湾演技好的政要不多﹔香港政界人物八九行径稚嫩,辩才平平,演技生硬,遑论闪耀智慧的火花﹑迸发幽默的甘泉!此所以前些日子有张﹑杨其人,揭底其事。
政治才能与语言修养息息相关。Earl Long说:Don't write anything you can phone, don't phone anything you can talk face to face, don't talk anything you can smile, don't smile anything you can wink and don't wink anything you can nod.(能够在电话里谈的事情千万不要写在白纸上﹔当面能谈的事情千万不要在电话里说﹔轻轻一笑能带过去的就千万别唠叨﹔眨眨眼睛示意一下既然行了,那就不要微笑﹔点头可以了事的则不必使眼色)。语言诚可贵,无言是上策。罗斯福曰:Never, never, you must never remind a man at work on a political job that he may be president. It almost always kills him politically. He loses his nerve; he can't do his work; he gives up the very traits that are making him a possibility.(万万不可提醒政界任事的人说他会当总统,一说则仕途几必尽毁。他会变得胆怯,办不了事﹔连一些可能使他当选的脾性特点都不见了)。