the world of politics Flashcards
represent
your constituents;
well/poorly represent at the conference, represent sb in court, represent the views/interests of, be delegated to represent;
represent your grievances/demands to sb, be chosen to represent, report represents, the statue represents, to represent yourself as sb; be represented that/to represent(claim) that;
The basic constituents of the mixture, break down into constituent elements, the essential constituents of the diet
fix
the election result;
fix the amount, fix sth at sth(fix the rate at), fix a time/date/place for sth, fix an appointment, fix up a meeting;
eyes are fixed on, fixed in one’s mind, fix one’s thoughts on;
a quick fix to, short-term fix
start doing sth popular to get an advantage
jump on the bandwagon
resign
from cabinet
an alliance for combined action, esp. by political parties
to form/build/assemble a coalition, enter into/join a coalition, form a coalition government, to govern in coalition with
try toget political support
canvass
to canvass local opinion people to get their thoughts on sth, a canvass of council members, to canvass for the party, canvass the voters;
to canvass (propose) sth as a solution to
capture
the public mood/the hearts and minds of
show of appreciation from the audience
to be given a standing ovation, to receive a standing ovation
admit sth unwillignly
concede
concede that, concede defeat in the election
to go back on you promise
renege
renege on the deal/an agreement/promise
change sth, such as a law
amend the constitution, to amend a law
to call a meeting
convene
to convene a security council meeting
launch
launch a campaign/scheme/ an inquiry/investigation, launch a missile/boat/satellite, set a launch date, the launch of a new campaign, a book launch, to launch a programme, to launch out on your own/by yourself, mark/delay a launch
interrupt
heckle the speaker
defeat
vote down
regain
regain control of/composure/self-control, regain seat in parliament
seat
regain seat, lose seat by the narrowest of margins in an election
to leave a job or stop doing sth
bow out of a profession, hand in a resignation letter, deciding it was an appropriate time to bow out
all the people in an area entitled to vote in an election
electorate, they cast their vote
the electorate came out in huge numbers to cast their vote
cast
cast aspersion on/doubt/suspicion, cast your mind back, cast a spell, cast a vote
to force smn to leave
eject sb from somewhere, be ejected from office, he was ejected from the party for not toeing the official party line
stop participating
withdraw from
to withdraw from a presidential race
appeal
appeal for privacy, appeal for information, launch an appeal to raise money, issue an appeal to the public, appeal for resources, appeal to sb’s taste/interest
sign
ratify
ratify a treaty
draw
draw a conclusion/comparison/clear distinction, to be drawn on sth, draw attention, draw to a close/to an end, draw sb aside/to one side, a train draws in to the station, draw a bath, draw sb out, draw sth(a meeting) out, draw a response from sb
candidate
nominate a candidate for a position
agenda
pursue an agenda, at the top of political agenda, set the agenda, on the agenda
try to get a job/position in politics
run for political office
election
hold
when the election is due to be held
call for an election
comprehensive
suffer a comprehensive defeat, a comprehensive victory, offer a comprehensive training, a fully comprehensive guide, engage in a comprehensive dialogue
loyalty
question sb’s loyalty
spin
put a positive spin on a situation, put a different spin on the issue, head/room spins, go into a spin, send sth into a spin, put a spin on the ball, spin off the road(skid off the road), spin a carousel, spin out a debate/holiday
promise
pledge
the government pledges to do sth
public vote
referendum
hold a referendum, call for a referendum
appear
turn out
turn out at the polls
to change significantly
shift seismically
public opinion has shifted seismically in the wake of
to reject an idea
defeat a proposal, motion
the motion was narrowly defeated
extend
extend term of office, the government has produced a series of leaflets designed to extend (= increase) public awareness of the dangers of AIDS, We’re planning to extend our publishing of children’s books, extend a house, extend closing hours, extend visa,The Sahara Desert extends for miles.
The path extends beyond the end of the road.The effects of this legislation will extend (= reach) further than the government intends.
extend thanks to sb/extend a warm welcome to/extend aid to people/
include-extend to :Parking restrictions do not extend to disabled people. extend range of services. her tolerance didn’t extend to her staff
divided
polarised
the debate is becoming polarised
when there is little in the way of common ground
reject sth officially
veto
veto a bill/proposal/put a veto on sth, to override a veto , carry out a threat to veto
use
adopt
adopt dirty tactics in an effort to
collapse of a mass of earth
landslide
the road was blocked by a landslide/under a landslide of paperwork
a landslide victory, win by a landslide
person most likely to win
front-runner (in a presidential race)
an opinion poll of people leaving a polling station
exit poll
according to exit polls, exit polls show/indicate/suggest
a candidate about whom little is known but who unexpectedly wins
dark horse
a potential dark horse
when no single political party has enough seats to have total control
hung parliament
ex. exit poll puts the two parties neck and neck with a hung parliament the most likely outcome
the special rights that diplomats have while working in a foreign country
diplomatic immunity
claim/plead diplomatic immunity, to be granted diplomatic immunity and not face prosecution
when people’s positions in an organization are changed
a government/cabinet reshuffle, a management reshuffle, trigger a reshuffle of responsibilities
standstill, when sth doesn’t change
deadlock
break the deadlock between, end in deadlock, reach deadlock over
a savvy action in a situation that’s intended to achieve an advantage
gambit
a tactical gambit, clever opening gambit
edge
be on edge(querulous, peevish,petulant), give/get/gain/have an edge over sth, take the edge off, on the edge(the economy was teetering on the edge of recession), lose one’s edge, keep on the edge of your seat, be edged out by sb, edge away, edge your way through
?????have an edge over your rivals????, edge in one’s voice,
take the edge off the pain, at the edges of a wider issue, an edge to your voice
unsuccessful person/thing
lame duck
this is regarded by many as a lame-duck initiative that has failed to deliver its promises
a lame-duck candidate, cut a very sorry figure on the campaign trail, pull out of a presidential race(go on a campaign trail)
when you change sth
catalyst
act/serve as a catalyst for change, the catalyst behind sth, act as a catalyst to
his election may prove a catalyst for real and meaningful change
a series of short visits to a number of different places
to embark on whistle-stop tour
sb who still hasn’t decided on their opinion
swing votes
this election looks set to be decided by a handful of swing voters
maximize appeal to swing voters in marginal constituents
spokesperson employed to give a favorable interpretation of events
spin doctor
spin doctors are hard at work trying to put a positive slant on the latest opinion poll figures
news coverage of the campaign can be influenced to a candidate’s advantage by spin doctors
slant towards/against, a new slant on
be slanted in favor of( grow at a slant/cut on the slant)
a system where former male students help each other
old-boys club(network)
he is the breath of fresh air that needed to be injected into this political system which has been for far too long dominated by members of the elite old-boys’ club
inject humour /money into sth
place where people can vote
polling booths
the polling booths are set to open earlier this month
when people don’t vote
voter apathy; when politicians fail to engage the electorate
voter apathy is the real talking point of this election
major talking point, stray from talking points in a political debate
when members support you overwhelmingly
retain the unanimous support of the cabinet
he claims to retain the unanimous support of the cabinet despite the fact that the murmurings of discontent are growing louder
uninterested and malcontent
disaffected
to attract disaffected voters/ disaffected youth/teenagers
manipulate the boundaries of a constituency so as to favor a particular party
gerrymandering
a blatant example of gerrymandering
the investigation confirmed that the boundary changes were tantamount to gerrymandering
living
be the living image of sb, living proof, a living monument to, in living memory
widespread
rife(ubiquitous)
speculation runs rife( be rife with- overrun by)
this looks set to be the most eagerly anticipated budget in living memory with speculation rife that a significant tax cut is on cards for low-income earners
anticipate
highly, eagerly anticipate
in anticipation of, hold sb in eager anticipation of
over-concerned with procedure
bureaucratic
overly/highly bureaucratic, bureaucratic hassle
the civil service in the country is very bureaucratic in nature and there is a needless amount of paperwork necessary to get even the simplest of things done
be likely to happen
on the cards
current (person who holds a position)
incumbent
the incumbent president
the incumbent president faces a huge challenge in translating his campaign rhetoric into action
empty rhetoric/be swayed by sb’s rhetoric
be incumbent on/upon sb
the present incumbent of the post
the incumbent manager/director
supported by both political parties
bipartisan
receive a considerable bipartisan approval/ bipartisan government
the house stands united in the face of the daunting task that lies ahead in trying to rebuild the nation’s crumbling economy
strongly favoring a person or thing , biased
partisan
a partisan crowd gathered in support of the candidate and he was greeted with a rousing reception
loud
raucous
a raucous laughter breaks out in
when people want change
a growing appetite for
who is a financial ombudsman
a state-appointed individual tasked with ensuring banks and other companies behave ethnically and adhere to legislation
when a government and a profit-making company invest in and work on a common goal
public-private partnership
the public-private partnership scheme that has led to the building of three new schools in the London borough of … must be applauded.This is a model other local councils should look to copy as not only does it result in improved education facilities being made available to local students, it also encourages businesses to give sth back to the community and play a more active role in community affairs
excess money(profit)
the amount by which the value of a company’s exports exceeds the cost of its imports
trade surplus
a significant trade surplus
last year’s deficit has been transformed into a significant trade surplus this year, reflecting the improved performance of indigenous companies in the export market
a twelve-month period of recording the company’s accounts
fiscal(financial) year
previous/current financial year
businesses that provide services but do not produce anything
tertiary sector
the tertiary sector is still underperforming compared to agriculture
money that a country owes(in debt)
national debt
the national debt will cripple this generations unless it is radically restructured
hamper, restrict
handicap
a handicap to, to handicap the development of sth, handicap a research
trammel
the trammels of
tax
tariff/excise duty
a tariff on, impose-set/cut/eliminate/remove tariffs, high/low tariff on, agricultural /customs/export/import tariff
an excise duty on(cigarettes) (the excise duty looks set to rise again)
aid
in aid of - for the purpose of raising money for sth(a concert in aid of AIDS), provide valuable economic/humanitarian aid, foreign aid is required to ameliorate the effects of the drought, designed to aid poorer countries, come to the aid of, government/public/state aid, with the aid of, go to sb’s aid
the main legal advisor to the government
attorney general
to be to consult the attorney general
the government is to consult the attorney general on whether the enacting of such a law would be in breach of the constitution
branches of a state’s administration, excluding the military
the civil service is still largely male-dominated despite a recruitment drive the present government aimed at attracting more female workers into the employment of state bodies
when the government sells a company/industry and, as a consequence, it is no longer publicly owned
privatise
it looks set to be the latest semi-state company to be privatised as the government tries to raise funds to finance its ambitious programme of infrastructural development(infrastructural development/improvement, various major infrastructural projects, There are complex infrastructural challenges facing our country.The loss of the money could put a halt to many infrastructural projects like building of roads and power units.
a system that allows the government to provide social services such as healthcare, unemployment benefit
welfare state
a company that operates aircraft or transport goods/people from one place to another
carrier
low-cost, no-frills carrier, national carrier
when there are no taxes to export/import
free trade
the free trade within the EU ensures all companies operate on a level playing field and that exports in particular are not handicapped by restrictive custom regulations and prohibitive import tariffs.
equal
on a level playing field
create/start a level playing field
the regulations will create a level playing field for
send home
extradite sb to .. from ..
extradition treaty, to fight extradition to
the lack of an extradition treaty has caused an international incident between
necessary and important
integral
an integral part of, be integral to, communicating is an integral part of all human behavior
taking a ride on the canals of Venice is an integral part of experiencing the city
racial/cultural/ social integration (with colleagues, promote/encourage integration, integration of sb into somewhere, create a seamless integration of
disintegrate
family/social disintegration, relationships disintegrate
diplomats in working a foreign country
consular office/ a consular official/staff
count
consider- count myself/sb (fortunate),count sb among, count as, head count, at the last head count, do a quick count, keep/lose count
opinion
I’m afraid I disagree with you on several counts
count on sb
I didn’t count on being held up in the traffic
the detention of a person for their own good
put sb in protective custody
meanwhile the key witness in the case has been put in protective custody amid fears that he may be targeted by gang lords linked to the accused
(of criminals) free, on the loose
on the run
i eat breakfast on the run if i’m late for work
