All These Talking Buildings/Streets

[Canary42]

Why do the press resort to weird amorphous sources in their reporting.

The link below includes "No 10 has said" and "Downing Street confirmed"

And we often get "The Palace stated that...."

Streets and buildings have never spoken a word in my presence - why not ?

P.S. This is a lighthearted remark for Chatterbank entertainment purposes, so please stay away from serious comment on the content of the link which is just one example of this trait.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-63530070

[Peter Pedant]

Sherry sherry !
It has been around for a long time
substitution of a place name for a person or official

Clearly a metaphor - poss a metonym
A place is often used as a metonym for a government or other official institutions,

we were told that hospitals often had two names ( Royal Manchester Children's Hospital - Pendlebury ) NOT because naming something gave you power over it - see no 1 of the ten commandments BUT because you might invoke and become ill yourself

like we whisper 'wape' for forced kissig of women

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metonymy

this is not too heavy is it?
I like the ones now outdated ( scotland yard is er not now at scotland yard)
the French for Sc yd is Rue des orfevres - Brussels, I think the site used to be where the Duchess of Richmond gave the famous barl the night before Waterloo

Mayor of Paree is often referred to Hotel Matignon

and Foreign Ministry - Quai d'Orsay

when the Brits were wisely ruling Ireland, the gubmint was called Dublin Castle or The castle.

I suppose Zelensky is referred to as the Bunker

Turkey - the Sublime Porte - you can go and stare at it- One of the gates to the Topkapi, which was the entry for ambassadors.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sublime_Porte

Imperial China - the celestial throne

oh, Min of Health - Elephant and Castle