Political jargon
“I am going to translate a passage of good English into modern English of the worst sort. Here is a well-known verse from Ecclesiastes:
I returned and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favor to men of skill;
but time and chance happeneth to them all."
Here it is in modern English:
Objective consideration of contemporary phenomena compels the conclusion that success or failure in
competitive activities exhibits no tendency to be commensurate with innate capacity, but that a
considerable element of the unpredictable must invariably be taken into account.”
Essay by George Orwell (1903-1950) Politics & the English Language
What does this really mean?
Astroturfing: formal public relations campaigns in politics and advertising that seek to create the impression of being spontaneous, grassroots behavior.
Backbenchers: Members of Parliament who are not part of the Ministry or its Opposition Shadow. They are seated behind the frontbenchers.
By-election: An election held between general elections to fill a vacancy caused by a Member's retirement, dismissal or death.
By-law: Rules or regulations adopted by an authority or corporation as authorised by a statute.
Caucus - a closed meeting of a group of persons belonging to the same political party or faction usually to select candidates or to decide on party policy
COAG; Council of Australian Governments. A Ministerial Council consisting of the Prime Minister, Premiers and Chief Ministers of the States and Territories. See also Head of Government.
Dialectic - the art or practice of a logical discussion as of the truth of a theory or opinion.
Disingenuous: lacking in frankness, candor, or sincerity; falsely or hypocritically ingenuous; insincere: Her excuse was rather disingenuous.
Dorothy Dixer: A pre-arranged question from a government Member to a Minister, in order to elicit praise for the Government or criticism of the Opposition.
Egalitarian - characterized by the belief in the equality of all men.
Enactment: The point at which an Act of Parliament becomes law.
Entrenched Clause: A section of a constitution or legislation which cannot be repealed or amended, unless by a special process such as a referendum.
Gag: Technically known as 'Closure', the motion which terminates a debate before all members, wishing to do so, have spoken.
Government in the sunshine: a government which keeps all its records and documents open and easily accessible by the public.
Grievance Debate: Originally identified with the grievances presented by Members to the Crown prior to the House of Commons granting supply, the debate today is similar to the Adjournment Debate, except it allows more Members to speak for two minutes on a topic of their choice during an half hour period at the end of the sitting day.
Illuminati - persons possessing or claiming to possess superior understanding and knowledge.
Informal Vote: A ballot paper declared invalid because it is incorrectly marked or incomplete.
Lame duck: a politician who has lost an election, or who is serving his last term in an office where the law limits the number of times he may succeed himself, and is simply waiting for his term to expire.
Legislative Assembly: The Legislative Assembly is one of the three branches of government, along with the executive and the judiciary. The Assembly is responsible for debating and approving the legislation and budget initiatives of the executive branch, which is represented in the Legislative Assembly by the Cabinet.
Legislative Council: The Upper House in all Australian States, except Queensland, where it was abolished in 1922.
Legislature: The elected, representative body of persons in a nation or state invested with powers to make alter or repeal laws.
Mandate: The policies on which a party is said to have been elected to government if successful at an election, contained mostly in party policy documents and the main party policy speech during an election campaign.
Melting pot: a society in which all outsiders assimilate to one social norm.
Notice; A declaration of intent to the House by a Member to either move a motion or present a Bill on a specified day.
Paradox: A deliberate statement of what seems to be absurd or contradictory yet it's actually reasonable in the context.
Partisan: - an adherent supporter of a person, party, or cause.
Platform The electoral promises of a party.
Pluralism - the view that the world contains many kinds of existent, which in their uniqueness cannot be reduced to just one or two.
Plurality - the excess of votes received by the leading candidate in an election in which there are three or more candidates, over those received by the next candidate.
Plutocracy - the rule of the wealthy.
Polarization - this is what happens when the extreme wings of a party take control and moderates find that they have lost power.
Pork barrel: legislation or patronage: acts of government that blatantly favors special interest groups.
Preferential Voting A voting system whereby voters are required to cast votes in a preferential order for all candidates.
Sacred cow: an institution which few dare question, because it is so revered.
Salad bowl: a society in which cultural groups retain their unique attributes (opposite of melting pot theory).
Spin :(public relations), a heavily biased portrayal of an event or situation.
Standing Orders; The printed rules which regulate procedure, debate and the conduct of Members in the Chamber.
Straw man: the practice of refuting an argument that is weaker than one's opponent actually offers, or which he simply has not pwedge issue: an issue which turns members of a party against each other.
Sunset clause: to prevent legislation from being permanent.
Third rail: an issue which is so controversial, pursuing it or even attempting to address it could end one's political career.
Tyranny - arbitrary and unrestrained abuse of power.
Unilateralism - a government acting on it's own, in it's own best interests. This would be opposed to going to the United Nations, to act jointly with other nations, on international principles designed to benefit "the many".
Utilitarianism - Judging actions by their consequences and the pleasure derived from them. The goal being the greatest amount of happiness for the most people.
Whip: A political p arty appointee who is responsible for organising party members as speakers for debates or numbers in divisions.
Witch hunt: a hysterical pursuit of political enemies
