W: Clode's Right Political Dictionary
“Wedge Issues” The concept of “wedge issues” refers to policy issues which split a group of voters away from your opposing party, and pull them over to your side. The best wedge issues are those which split the largest blocs of votes away from your opponents, so wedge issues are designed to target some of the most traditional supporters of your enemies. Thus a wedge strategy is the exact opposite of a “swinging voter” strategy, since it attacks the enemy from behind rather than fighting on the middle ground. The term was coined by political strategist Lee Atwater who worked for US President Ronald Reagan. Atwater persuaded working class Americans to split away from supporting the Democrat Party, over Democrat policies such as affirmative action laws which were seen as taking jobs from these blue collar workers.
“Wet” / “Wets” This term of abuse is directed at centre-right politicians who are too gutless to take a firm stance in support of their party principles. Margaret Thatcher first unleashed the term in politics, directing it against conservatives who were fearful of policy changes which would be opposed by the unions or the media. Wets are inclined to shirk hard political decisions; they lack intellectual integrity; and they concern themselves more with their personal political image than with the welfare of the nation. The ascendency of wets has coincided with the rise of Keynesian economic policies, a period of history when many conservatives became submissive to proposals for welfare spending, tax increases and trade protection. By contrast, those conservatives who are proud of their party principles are known as “dry”. Dries stand for small government, individual responsibility and fiscal prudence. The divide between wets and dries has often led to the formation of factions or leadership struggles within centre-right parties. “Wet” was common slang in Britain since World War I, meaning feeble and weak. (See “Keynesian Economics”; “Dries”)
“Whip” This person the manager of a party’s parliamentary representatives who makes sure that members of their party take part in debates and votes. If there is the need for a quorum in parliament, the Whip will ensure that parliamentarians from their party are rostered to appear in the chamber at set hours. The Whip also helps decide who speaks in debates. If the party caucus has decided that the party will vote a certain way on an issue, the Whip is sometimes in charge of ensuring that they are pressured to adhere to the party line. He is also entrusted by the Parliamentary Leader with the role of consulting widely among his colleagues to listen to their concerns, to engage in trouble-shooting and, to pick up any rumours if some politicians are contemplating a challenge to the party leadership. A Whip will usually be assisted by junior whips or assistant whips. (See also “Trouble Shooting”, “Guillotine” and “Pairing”)