I fail to see how answering the question gives any clues about the timeline. "They" already said that the "pole shift" would happen before 2012. If they had simply said, "No, because the 'pole shift" will happen before that." then they've answered the question and not given out any further clues. In fact, I'd say the exact opposite has happened. They've now given a clue by declining to answer. By doing so, they're hinting that the "pole shift" won't happen before 2012 after all.