Six obscure political expressions you might not have heard before

As more and more candidates do their very best to engage voters in conversations about manifestos and policies, Welsh comedian Gary Slaymaker hunts down some obscure political words he thinks deserve an airing. Over to you, Gary…

As Harold Wilson once said, “A week is a long time in politics.” Since last June, it’s felt like an eternity. But if you haven’t yet reached peak burnout with the seemingly relentless voting that’s going on around the world, here’s my pick of a few choice words and phrases from the branch of showbiz I call politics.

1. Gauche Caviar

A French term (obvs) to describe someone who claims to be a socialist, while living in a way that contradicts socialist values. The more familiar British term, of course, is “champagne socialist”; while Americans refer to this kind of person as a “limousine liberal”. Also known in the Labour voting heartlands of South Wales as “owner of an indoor toilet”…

2. Godwin’s Law

This term’s been used regularly over the past year – simply put, it’s an adage which asserts that, “As an online discussion grows longer, the probability of a comparison involving Hitler approaches.” First coined by attorney and author, Mike Godwin; anyone who’s made use of Twitter in the last 12 months will be more than familiar with this, when it comes to spats between the US alt-right and, well, just about anyone. As Godwin’s Law is an American term, perhaps we could change it in Britain to “Livingstone’s Lament”.

3. Useful idiot

In a rare bit of Nostradamus-like prophecy, the New York Post coined a term back in the 1940s to describe a citizen of a non-communist country, sympathetic to communism, but who is regarded (by communists) as naïve and susceptible to manipulation for propaganda, and other purposes. That term was "useful idiot". I’m saying nothing.

4. Dorothy Dixer

Not content with providing a whole continent of aggressive and venomous beasties, Australia has also given us politicians. And it’s Australian politics that offers the world the term, Dorothy Dixer. Historically, Dorothy Dix was an American advice columnist, who had a history of making up her own questions, in order to publish more interesting answers. Since the 1950s, Australian politicos have used “Dorothy Dixer” to describe someone who asks a rehearsed or planted question in order to promote themselves; or more often, to eat up the time available for cross-examination, and thereby allowing the party leader to avoid tougher questions from the floor. It’s a popular ploy amongst both houses of the Australian parliament: proving yet again that politics is full of Dix.

5. Donkey Vote

Staying with Australia, we also have this term: which is a vote on a ballot on which the voter’s order of preference follows the order in which the candidates are listed. Simply put, the first name the voter sees on the ballot is the one they rank as their first choice. This obviously favours anyone called Ass.

6. Wonk

Finally, this Americanism has caught our attention over the last few years. In political terms, it’s a noun which describes a person who studies a subject or issue in an excessively assiduous and thorough manner… hence the term, “policy wonk”. But it’s also a noun which describes a stupid, boring or unattractive person. And people try to tell me that the Yanks don’t do irony. God bless America.