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Ad hominem |
Latin for “to the man”. Attacking the presenter of an argument rather than the argument itself. |
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absolute majority |
(50%+1 vote). A term used to compare the least votes a winning candidate may need in a preferential single member voting system compared with that of first- past-the-post systems of other countries where a “majority” may well be less than 50%. Also a concept used in some parliamentary votes where a simple majority of all members present is not enough. |
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accord |
A diplomatic agreement that does not have the same binding force as a treaty. |
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adjournment |
Temporary interruption during a parliamentary session. |
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adversarial system |
The system of law, as exists in the Anglo-American world, where an issue is argued in court by two opposing sides, the prosecutor or plaintiff, and the defense. Opposite to the Inquisitorial system where a judge or panel of judges call evidence and interrogate witnesses, as exists in many European countries. |
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affirmative action |
Legislative programs which aim to create minority equality in employment, university placements, housing and other government beneficial situations even though, most of the time, outright discrimination against so called majorities is not ostensibly advocated. |
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altruism |
The devotion to the interests of others above that of the self. The opposite of egoism. |
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anarchy |
A condition of lawlessness and disorder brought about by the absence of any controlling authority. |
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autocracy |
A form of government where unlimited power is held by one single individual. |
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autonomy |
A limited form of independence where, for example, a state or colony can control its own domestic affairs but has no say over its foreign affairs. |
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backbencher |
A member of Parliament (government or opposition) who is not in a leadership role in their party but merely sits literally on the back bench. |
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balance of power |
The leverage a small party in the legislature possesses, in being able to give, or hold back, voting support to a large, albeit still minority party, to allow it to have a majority on a vote. |
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ballot |
A method of secret voting, normally in a written form. |
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bellwether |
A small entity whose characteristics happen to reflect that of the whole
state or nation. The American state of |
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the Beltway |
A term to describe the politically and socially insular community of Washington |
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bill |
The name for proposed legislation entered into the house / houses of parliament to be debated upon for approval. If approved at all stages it then becomes an act and thus law. |
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bill of attainder |
No longer practiced ancient writ or act of Parliament to declare someone guilty of a crime and/or subject to punishment without benefit of trial. |
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bipartisan |
Adjective to describe a situation where the normally opposing political parties come together to agree on an initiative. Technically two parties coming together. |
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block voting |
In multi-member electorates, each voter having the same number of votes as the number of vacant seats (must tick off [say] three names). This has the effect of minimizing the chances of minority candidates winning seats. |
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boondoggle |
A wasteful government financed infrastructure developed at a cost much greater than its value, undertaken for local or political gain. |
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bourgeois |
Marxist term now used to describe middle class professionals living a relatively luxurious life style. |
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by-law |
Not a law but a government rule or regulation. see ‘delegated legislation’. |
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by-election |
A local election held to fill a suddenly vacated (single member voting) seat due to death, resignation etc. see also Casual Vacancy |
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bicameral / unicameral |
Government with either two or one house of legislature. France, Sweden, South Korea and New Zealand all have unicameral governments. |
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cabinet |
The ‘board of directors’ of executive government. Made up of the President / Prime Minister as chairman and each director as a secretary or minister responsible for the relevant government departments such as defense, environment, trade etc. |
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capitalism |
An economic system based on the recognition of private property rights, where prices are dictated by supply and demand, and where the means of production and distribution of goods and services derive from privately owned resources, or capital, operating within an unregulated market. |
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candidate |
A person who stands for election to Parliament. In Australia candidates can be nominated by political parties or stand as independents. |
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caretaker government |
A type of governance where those in power refrain from significant actions such as undertaking major legislative programs or senior judicial or public service appointments, but only maintain necessary normal administrative duties. The reason for this is that power would be in transition due to an election being due or being called suddenly due to the success of a vote of no confidence, or some other situation where legitimate democratic government has to be restored. |
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caucus |
A closed meeting of members of a political party or faction. Also the term for a group of people within an establishment with a common political leaning. In Australia the term is used to describe the parliamentary members of the ALP. |
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clear and present danger |
A concept in American constitutional law to describe a situation where fundamental constitutional principles can be overlooked in exigent circumstances. |
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client state |
A country that is economically or militarily dependent upon another, but not actually controlled politically by the patron state as in the case of a ‘puppet state’. |
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command economy |
As compared to the free market, an economy which is mostly under the command of the government. |
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common law |
The law of the land which comes from neither the statute books nor the constitution but from court law reports. Originally that body of law which was common to all parts of England (not customary or local law) and developed over centuries from the English courts to be adopted and further developed in countries using that system. As compared to democratically maintained law, common law is judge maintained and modified law and is valid unless it conflicts with statute law. |
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communitarianism |
The concept of collective, rather than individual, ownership of all the nation’s assets, as well as the duty by those able, to create and / or manage those assets. |
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confederalism |
A form of federalism where the individual regions that make up the sovereign state exercise a larger degree of autonomy. Often the right to secede and the sole right to raise taxes, the funding of the central government coming from the regions. The pre-Civil War slave states of America united to form the Confederated States of America to maintain states’ rights. |
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conservative |
Often taken as synonymous with right wing with a penchant for censorship and state control to protect against ‘immoral’ personal behavior, but technically an attitude of belief in the established order and suspicious of change. |
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constituent |
A citizen residing in a particular MP’s area or district. |
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constitution |
The set of basic rules by which a country or state is governed. Sometimes includes a Bill of Rights. The ultimate set of laws to which all other laws made by contemporary governments are subservient to. The strength and integrity of a constitution is often reflected by the difficulty it is to be changed. |
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constitutional referendum |
A proposal to alter the Constitution being put to the public vote. In Australia at a referendum the proposed alteration must be approved by a 'double majority': a national majority of voters in the States and Territories; and a majority of voters in a majority of the States. |
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consumer price index |
A measurement of inflation by comparing, at regular intervals, the price (taking weighting into account) of a set of basic consumer goods and services purchased by households. |
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consumption tax |
A tax levied on goods and services such as sales tax, GST, VAT or an excise tax. A tax on the spending of income rather than the earning of it, so as to include people who might otherwise evade income tax such as those in the black economy or successful with tax avoidance schemes. |
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coup d’ėtat |
Sudden and often violent overthrow of a government. |
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crossing the floor |
An MP crossing the floor of Parliament to vote with his/her opposition. An act rarely forgiven in Commonwealth countries but common in the USA. |
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cumulative voting |
A type of block voting but where the voter can choose, from the list of (for example) ten candidates running for four seats, his preferred four, or just two or even one. In such decisions, the selected candidates would get one quarter of a vote each, or half a vote, or where only one candidate received the vote, the whole vote. |
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dark horse candidate |
An unexpected, somewhat unknown candidate with little public exposure who has potential to win an election against established candidates. Term originated by British politician and author, Benjamin Disraeli. |
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deficit / national debt |
The shortfall in any one year of a nation’s income as compared to its expenditure / the total unpaid accumulated debt of the government over time. |
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deficit spending |
Government intentionally spending more money than it takes in. |
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delegated legislation |
a.k.a. enabling legislation. Rules, regulations, by-laws, ordinances etc made by a government official under the authority of a specific act of parliament which sets out the broad purpose of what is desired, but delegates to that official’s office, the authority to create the minutia, the delegated legislation, necessary. Whereas all parliamentary legislation is final and cannot be challenged in court (apart from constitutional inconsistencies) delegated legislation can be challenged in court if it is shown to violate the purpose of the original act. |
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demagogue |
A leader who gains popularity by appealing to prejudice and basic instincts. Considered manipulative and dangerous. |
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democracy |
From the Greek ‘demos’ for the ordinary, common people and ‘kratos’ for power or strength. |
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devolution |
Transfer of powers from the national or central government to state or local government. |
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direct democracy |
Government by the people in fact rather than merely in principle. The citizenry themselves voting on all issues affecting them. Practiced in ancient Greece and (to some degree) in some cantons of Switzerland and the New England states of America. Considered by most to be a highly impractical form of government. |
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disinformation |
Information that is false or misleading deliberately disseminated for strategic gain. a.k.a. black propaganda. |
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doublespeak |
Using language to distort or even reverse the meaning of unpalatable information that has to be given. Allegedly the amalgam of two George Orwell’s creations from his novel 1984, Doublethink and Newspeak. |
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dynasty |
A sequence of hereditary rulers. |
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dystopia |
Alternative to Utopia. Nightmare vision of society beyond that of even a failed, dysfunctional state, where the system is actually planned by those in power, creating, most often, a totalitarian society. Fictional examples are Jack London’s The Iron Heel and George Orwell’s 1984. |
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elector |
Technically, a voter who is successful in helping to get his preferred
candidate elected. In practice the name often given by governments to voters
in normal elections, or to those who have been appointed to a certain level
so as to vote their choice to a higher office. Eg. the American Electoral
College to choose the President. Term possibly used to disguise the fact that
approximately half of all voters in |
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electorate |
Geographical areas used as a criterion for political representation. Australia is divided into 150 (federal) voting districts or divisions which are known as electorates. One member is elected from each electorate to the House of Representatives. In Parliament the electorate of Batman will be represented by the Member for Batman who will have the Seat of Batman. |
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the Enlightenment |
a.k.a. the Age of Reason. 18th century epoch of intellectual advancement where “humanity was brought into the light of reason out of the darkness of tradition and prejudice”. Originating in the UK but developing fully in continental countries such as France with thinkers such as Spinoza, Voltaire and Rousseau. |
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equity law |
An auxiliary part of common law where the courts not only have authority to modify existing common law to adapt to modern times, but in fact have the power to create original law, overriding existing common law, in circumstances where it is deemed that without it, “unconscionable” conduct would occur. |
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the Executive |
That part of government which executes the law of the land, as compared to the legislature which creates and maintains the law. The executive comprises public service officials from the Prime Minister/ President down, and is responsible for the daily administration of the state. |
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exchange rate |
The relationship of the values of any two country’s currencies. Any one-off reading is informative when taking into account what each country’s unit of currency will buy in its own domestic market. Also relevant is when the rate changes over time indicating one country’s economy is not doing as well as the other. |
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ex officio |
“by virtue of one’s office”. The power to do something or hold an office by virtue of the fact that one holds an earlier office. The American Vice President is, ex officio, the President of the Senate. |
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Fabian Society |
A movement founded in 1884 by intellectuals Sidney and Beatrice Webb and George Bernard Shaw who believed the only possible way to introduce socialism would be in an incremental way using education and gradual legislative changes. Named after the Roman general Fabius Cunctator (“the delayer”) who possessed the patience to defeat the Carthaginian Hannibal by engaging in a slow war of attrition and harassment. |
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fascism |
An authoritarian and nationalist political ideology that embraces strong leadership, singular collective identity and the will to commit violence or wage war to further the interests of the state. Averse to concepts such as individualism, pluralism, multiculturalism or egalitarianism. The name derives from the collective identity, the league connotation of the Italian fascio, or English faggot, for a bound collection of sticks. The symbol originally used by Mussolini was a ‘fascio’ of sticks bound with that connotation of war, an axe. |
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federalism |
A system under which governmental powers are divided between the central government and the states or provinces all within the same geographical territory. Opposite to a unitary system as exists in the UK, New Zealand and Japan. |
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fellow traveller |
Mid-twentieth century term to describe someone who sympathized with communism but would not go so far as to declare themselves a communist or join the party. |
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fifth columnist |
In a military or political environment, a person who surreptitiously undermines a group or entity from within. Term derived from a Nationalist General during the Spanish Civil War who boasted he had four columns of troops attacking Madrid, together with a fifth column of sympathizes inside the city. The practice of the F.C. is sometimes described as ‘entryism’. The Alec Guinness character in the film Dr Zhivago was a war-time fifth columnist. |
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filibuster |
A form of legislative obstruction by an MP by continuing a parliamentary speech for the mere sake of preventing a vote. As the clerk of parliament will set an agenda calendar allocating certain bills for certain days, if the business of reading, debating and voting on one bill is not completed on its allotted day it may be a considerable period of time before it again comes before the house. |
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first-past-the-post |
Electoral system where the winning candidate needs only the most votes, even if well below a majority. a.k.a. pluralist voting. |
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franchise |
The right to vote. |
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Friday news dump |
a.k.a. ‘take out the trash day’. The practice of governments releasing their unpopular news stories just before the weekend as it is believed few people follow the news on a Saturday. Not only the timing is effective for what the government wants to hide but also the act of lumping together as many stories as possible so as to minimize the effect of each one. |
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fixed term |
Concept to describe the set term of office of representatives (eg US House of Reps is a strict two years) as compared to other democracies like the UK where the House of Commons is a maximum of five years but can be shorter at the discretion of the Prime Minister. |
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fourth estate |
The unofficial political institution and authority comprising the press and other forms of the media. Term comes from the first three estates of the French States-General which were the church, the nobility and the townsmen. |
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from each according to his ability... |
“From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs”. Slogan not created, but made popular by Karl Marx in a 1875 publication, to highlight a fundamental aspect of communism. Allegedly a response to the capitalist concept of private property. |