- The Pulse Live with Judith Ireland returns on Tuesday for the resumption of Parliament
The federal political year officially kicks off on Tuesday, with Parliament returning for its first sitting of 2014.
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As MPs come back to Canberra to air out their offices and polish their school shoes, we'd like to take the opportunity to make a small plea.
In the spirit of a healthy verbal prune - and for the sake of the nation's irritation levels - could the following phrases please be excised from political debate this year?
1. ''It's good to be in [location x]''. It doesn't matter what side of politics you're on. Or where your doorstop happens to be. If you're a politician doing a doorstop you always start with a ''It's good/great to be in ...''. It seems warm and fuzzy, but surely it can't be accurate. Sometimes it must be tedious or hot or cold or predictable or underwhelming to be in Sydney/ Melbourne/ Cairns/ Carindale Shopping Centre. So why not just say so?
2. ''Playing politics'', ''political stunt''. One the big tricks of political debate is to accuse the other side of ''playing politics'' or conducting a ''political stunt''. Tony Abbott has accused Labor of ''playing politics'' by not backing the repeal of the carbon tax, while Labor has dismissed the pending royal commission on union dodginess as a ''political stunt''. But when you break it down, we're talking about politicians accusing each other of being political. That's like a doctor accusing another doctor of ''playing medicine''. Or an Olympian accusing a fellow athlete of ''playing sport''. What else do you expect politicians to play instead of politics? Table tennis?
3. ''Rule-in, rule-out game''. Speaking of playing things, Labor was a habitual user of the ''rule-in, rule-out game'' when it was in government, particularly when it was pressed on how it was going to pay for stuff. For example, when Julia Gillard was asked what cuts could be expected to fund the Gonski school reforms, she replied: ''I'm not going to play silly rule-in, rule-out games.'' Joe Hockey has already shown himself to be a fan of the trick. And we can expect plenty of not ruling things in or out ahead of his first budget in May. Consider this a pre-emptive strike.
4. ''Relentless negativity''. This was on tres high rotation during Abbott's time as opposition leader. To the point where Labor's use of it could be described as both relentless and negative. But Abbott's promotion to Prime Minister has curiously not signalled the end of the term. In fact, the PM himself has now adopted it to describe the new opposition - without even batting half an eyelash. As he noted in a Griffith doorstop last week: ''all we've had from the Labor Party in the Parliament is relentless negativity and scare after scare after scare''.
5. ''Toxic tax''. Aka ''axe this toxic tax''. It was kinda catchy and rhymy the first time the Coalition used it. But just like that Katy Perry song you thought was fun at first, the initial reaction has been replaced with a severe sense of peeve.
6. ''Gold-plated paid parental scheme''. As above.
7. ''Stop the boats''. Also as above.
8. ''I call on''. Another of the supposed big guns of political debate. If one side doesn't like something another is up to, they will ''call on'' them to stop or explain it. For example, the Greens have recently called on Abbott to ''condemn the slaughter of dolphins in Japan''. While Labor has called on Attorney-General George Brandis to explain who he consulted over Tim Wilson's appointment as Human Rights commissioner. It sounds like a serious move, but there's no need for that sharp (ooooh) intake of breath. It's not as if the cops or guys with baseball bats are going to come around and enforce it or anything.
9. ''That's a question/matter for [x]''. Ever noticed that when politicians are asked a difficult question they will, if they can, defer it to a more specific authority? For example, if asked about a poll, they will argue that political analysts, not MPs, should explain the results. Or if, like Scott Morrison you are asked if people found to be refugees on Manus Island will be able to work and have visiting family rights, you can reply: ''that is a matter for the Papua New Guinean government''. It's an easy duck. And we should call on our MPs to stop relentlessly playing politics. And axe the deferrals. It's toxic and they should rule it out.
