A Westminster Dictionary

POLITICS A Westminster Dictionary

You only have to glance at the news to be bombarded with political jargon from every angle. So, what are they really talking about?

Dead Cat Strategy

 This term refers to the introduction of a dramatic, shocking or sensationalist topic to divert attention away from a more damaging topic.  E.g. PM Boris Johnson reducing and eventually removing Covid-19 restrictions, perhaps in a desperate bid to distract from ‘partygate’. Whataboutism

 Technique used during discussions attempting to discredit an opponent’s position by calling them out for hypocrisy rather than directly refuting or disproving the argument.  E.g. Johnson making allegations against Sir Keir Starmer about his supposed failure to prosecute notorious paedophile Jimmy Saville. (No evidence has ever been found to support these claims.)

Pork Barrel

 The use of government funds to indirectly buy support, such as overspending on infrastructure and giving the contracts to allies.  E.g. £1 billion in contracts given to ‘friends and donors’ of the Conservative Party since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Others include...

 Ad hominem: Attacking an opponent r ather than their argument.  Ad nauseum: Tir eless r epetition of an idea (e.g. ‘Get Brexit Done’).  Cult of personality: A public figur e using the media to create an idealised and heroic image of themselves.

 Dog whistle: The use of coded or suggestive language in political messaging to get support from a specific group without provoking opposition.  Doublespeak: Language distor ting the meaning of words to make the truth more palatable.  Firehose of falsehood: Messages br oadcast r apidly and repetitively through multiple channels without regard for truth or consistency.  Flag-waving: Attempting to justify actions on the grounds that they are patriotic.  Gish gallop: Bombar ding an opponent with obnoxiously complex questions in order to make it appear as if they don’t know what they are talking about.

 Glittering generalities: Emotionally appealing words applied without concrete argument or analysis

 Paltering: The active use of selective tr uthful statements to mislead.

 Status Quo: The cur r ent or r ecent state of things, usually defended by those who are resistant to change in terms of culture, society and organisation.

And finally… ‘party’

 A social gathering of invited guests, typically involving eating cheese, drinking wine and entertainment via quiz nights.  E.g. 15th May 2020; 20th May 2020; 13th November 2020; 27th November 2020; 15th December 2020; 18th December 2020; 16th April 2021 - in No.10 alone.

Party? What party?