Reviewed by Ian Lipke
Should one feel jaded or disillusioned about the state of Australian politics, the writer – rather the collector – of Dirty Politics claims to have the answer. As with everything political, readers really should accompany the contents with a pinch of NaCl. While being assured by the Macquarie National Dictionary team that they have mined their extensive resources to produce this contemporary guide, warning lights do more than flicker at the claim that the guide “shines light on how language is wielded for power and influence by Canberra’s finest.” Any television viewer needs only to tune into the ABC to discover either the finest are missing or having a dull day.
The Macquarie team is well aware that their collective tongue is as firmly wedged in their collective cheeks at this point as it is when examining the “bad behaviours, dodgy practices and audacious insults” that strew this compendium. Readers accept this attempt to “showcase the humour…behind the formal façade of politics.” The humour must be taken to be applicable to the statement that accompanies the blurb. Mustn’t it?
Dirty Politics is THE ultimate gift idea for the loony lefts, lunar rights and crumb maidens in your life, and anyone with even half an interest in the daily diabolical dramas of our politicians – would concur.
A wildly entertaining and intriguing insight into the underbelly workings of Australian politics – let’s see for ourselves.
The book cover does not inspire confidence that a serious analysis of the Federal scene will follow. Frankly, it consists of a series of cartoons, each cornier than its neighbour. Colours of green, black and white prevail and a quote by Paul Keating at John Hewson’s expense (1989) completes the text and illustrations. Keating’s comment is inserted almost as an afterthought to complete the back cover. It is the witty, but familiar, “It was the limpest performance I have ever seen. It was like being flogged with a warm lettuce. It was like being mauled by a dead sheep.”
In the Foreword written by Sammy J, we are led to a discovery of the word ‘gerrymander’ and its origins. Not only is it fun to say, but it is “laden with history, irony and truth-telling.” In the Introduction (by Victoria Morgan), we are alerted to the opportunity to rap the knuckles of and tut-tut our governing representatives simply by presenting the lexicon for scrutiny. If we’ve been left jaded and disillusioned, the publishers hope this book will make you laugh.
Presented in order of the Western alphabet the contents of the major part begin with ‘adhocracy’ and proceed to ‘zombie savings’. Interspersed throughout are clever sayings attributed usually to parliamentarians. These vary in degree of cleverness, from the pithy “Mr Whitlam treats the truth like a dog with a bone. He plays with it for a while and then buries it” (Malcolm Fraser, 1970) to the bitter “the only type of man who can be happy in the job of Treasurer is one who by nature is a sadist and has a heart of stone” (Harold Holt, 1959). While these may produce a chuckle or two their light-heartedness is overwhelmed by the entries which can only have sprung from the author’s personal wish list. Words such as adventurism precariat and a host of others come to mind.
A fascinating collection, nevertheless.
Dirty Politics
(2025)
by Macquarie Dictionary
Macquarie
ISBN: 978-1-76177-395-2
$19.99; 144 pp