There is much confusion about what lying actually is, particularly in a world ruled by politicians and lawyers. Some specific examples are relevant.

An actor who proclaims 'Alas, poor Yorick! I knew him, Horatio' is not lying because he expects that everyone knows that he is just an actor and has probably never even met anyone called Horatio. It's just make-believe.

A caring father who says 'I promise to take you to the zoo tomorrow, son', and is then carted off to hospital in the middle of the night is not a liar. He's certainly a promise-breaker, but if he fully intended to go to the zoo, then he was not actually lying.

A politician who says 'These tax cuts will be L.A.W law' [Paul Keating] or 'read my lips - new new taxes' [George Bush Sr] is certainly a promise breaker. But he would only be lying if he knew they would break his promise.

A politicians who says 'Children were thrown overboard' [John Howard] is not lying if he believes it to be true. When he later says 'no one has given me reason to doubt the truthfulness of that statement' when he has been deliberately refusing to take calls from those who wish to advise him otherwise.

A politician who says 'Saddam Hussein has weapons of mass destruction' [most politicians in 2001] is not lying if he believes it.

Generally politicians are liars, not because they break promises, but because they know they are going to break the promises when they make them. Lawyers are liars because they know they are lying.

So for someone to be lying it has to pass the following tests:

• They have to believe what they are saying to be untrue.
• They have to be trying to convince others that it is true.