wedge politics
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.60 in modern English
22
Scrabble Score
13
Letters
3
Syllables
11
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
A strategy or pattern of behavior by a politician, political party, or advocacy group which is intended to have a divisive effect on one's political opponents or on the electorate, especially by emphasizing an issue which polarizes opinion along racial, regional, or other demographic lines.
Example Sentences
- "It was an ugly example of wedge politics, the politics of division."
- "John Howard . . . has, quite superbly, controlled the political agenda by wedge politics—by dividing the electorate on some emotional issue and forcing the Opposition to side with the moral but unpopular position."
- "The quotes . . . are part of a Conservative divide-and-conquer strategy, said Liberal MP Anita Neville. "It's the worst kind of wedge politics—pitting one group against another: ‘We love you more than they love you,’" she said."