Q:When is a target not a target?
A: When it's an aspiration.
OK, so you've all heard that one before (especially if you've read the 2008 Lexicon from the Centre for Policy Studies).
But what about the latest definition from Work and Pensions Secretary James Purnell, quoted in today's Guardian on the Government's dismal failure to meet its child poverty target: "The target is a statement of our values; it is a statement of our aspiration for Britain, and it is a statement of something we will continue to be committed to over the next decade."
So now we know.
