Word of the Week
Created | Updated Apr 1, 2004
In the dim dark recesses of h2g2 history before we
moved lock, stock and barrel to our new BBC home there used
to be a front page feature The h2g2 Word
of the Day. It was a way to highlight some of the
lesser occurring or largely obscurer words in the English
language. Sadly this feature was discontinued.
Until now...
Word for the Week
This week I've been too busy getting ready for the
Conference of the Political party of which I am a member, to
trawl through the dark recesses of h2g2 for suggestions and
archives for used words. So in honour of my activities over
the weekend I provide you with an A-Z of politics.
A for Activist: These are the little people
who post leaflets through doors, canvass residents, put up
and (hopefully) take down election posters.
B for Ballot Box: The metal box with a small
slit in the top into which your voting paper is placed once
you have decided on your vote. There are attempts to do away
with ballot boxes and introduce electronic voting, but some
argue this makes scrutiny difficult.
C for Conference: The gathering of the party
activist, elected representatives etc to discuss, vote on or
affirm party ideas and ideals. What goes on depends very much
on the party's structure and constitution.
D for Democracy: This should mean that the
people of the countries who vote actually elect the people
that they want to stand for them. See E, F and P for more
information.
E for Electoral College: A weighted form of
election. Certain groups are given weight or number of votes
according to their importance. Once used by the UK Labour
party, still used for US Presidential election. Does not
always mean that more votes means you win, see the US
presidential elections of 1960 and 2000.
F for First Past the Post: An electoral
system where each elector has one vote and the winner gets
elected. Currently used in the majority of UK elections. The
winner does not have to have the majority of voters backing
them to win.
G for General Election: An election that
takes place over the entire country either to elect a
President or a Parliament.
H for Hustings: Public meetings where all
the main contenders for an election are invited to get their,
or their party's, point of view across to the electorate.
I for Ineffective: Sometimes a party, leader
or politician who is deemed to be ineffective is not long to
getting shifted or ousted, especially in the 24/7 media
age.
J for Jobs for Boys: The elevating to key
posts of close friends and colleagues regardless of
experience. More prone to abuse happening in systems such as
the US where cabinet holders do not have to be sitting in any
elected body.
K for Kingmaker: A influential, senior
political figure whose input is important in deciding the
future leader of a political party or country.
L for Lame Duck: Where there is a gap
between elections and taking control, the Lame Duck period is
that time when an ousted leader is still in office before
handing over the reigns of power. In US presidential terms
between the elections in November and the inauguration in
January.
M for Majority: When one party has half the
seats in an elected house plus one they are deemed to have a
majority. However an overwhelming majority can be as awkward
to manage as a slim one so a medium sized one is often
desired, not too small to allow many defeats, not too large
to encourage rebellion - look at Tony Blair and John Major
for examples of the dangers in both.
N for No: A word that seems to be missing
from most politician's vocabulary, unless they are in
opposition to something very strongly. Often replaced with
'We will set up a committee to look into this' or
'I shall get back to you about that'.
O for Officials: The civil servants who will
remain in their jobs whatever the election result. Officials
offer continuity in position and, as in the BBC series Yes
Minster, some believe it is their job to rule the place
not the politicians.
P for Proportional Representation: An
electoral system in which electors rank their preferences.
These are then distributed by ejection or transfer of
surpluses until all the available seats have been
allocated1. Seen by many to be the
fairest electoral system currently available.
Q for Queer Vote: A current major battle
ground is the gay/lesbian vote. In the UK the Conservatives
are looking at ways to encourage the pink vote to vote blue.
However a recent opinion poll showed 67% of gay men would
vote Liberal Democrat, 10% Labour and only 5%
Conservative.
R for Results: What all the hard work, long
nights and wet feet are for. Hopefully you will win but there
will another chance coming around in a few years time if you
don't.
S for Selection: Unless you stand as an
independent you have to be selected by a local party for the
chance to stand. Somehow you have to stand out from people
who broadly have similar philosophies and beliefs to
yourself.
T for Tact: Along with Diplomacy often
needed in politics to move things along and come to
agreements.
U for United Nations: An international forum
for the world's politicians to meet to discuss issues which
straddle national boundaries and affect things on a world
wide scale.
V for Vote: Your chance to change things, if
you live in a democracy. An opportunity to elected the
representatives or leaders you wish to have.
W for World Bodies: Such as the UN. Many of
these were set up after the second World War to prevent the
horrors of War affecting the World in the same way ever
again. Sadly the UN, since its formation, has been acting
mainly as referee rather than preventer of wars.
X for Xenophobia: A sadly rising trend in
Western politics where anyone who looks different is
increasingly ostracised. The rise in far right politics
hasn't been as great since the 1930s and is increasingly
being fuelled by some of the more 'mainstream' leaders
exhortations unfortunately.
Y for You: See V. The smallest unit in
politics in the individual. You vote. You can write to your
representatives. You can raise issues. You can highlight
these issues in a free press. Never underestimate the power
of one person.
Z for Zzzzzzz: Sadly most people are turned
off by politics without realising how much it affects their
daily lives.
Normal service should be resumed next week. But we
hope you enjoyed this little excursion.
How can you
contribute?
- Go and check out words in the archive to avoid duplication.
- Check out the discussion threads and nominate a word that
you feel was overlooked before discontinuation. - Suggest a new word or your forgotten word in the word of the week archive
conversation.
divided by seats plus 1 all plus one to have a quota and
therefore be elected.2Whose speech was
on TV on Saturday!
