A wedge issue is a social or political issue, often of a divisive or otherwise controversial nature, which splits apart or creates a "wedge" in the support base of one political group. Wedge issues can be advertised, publicly aired, and otherwise emphasized by an opposing political group, in an attempt to weaken the unity of the divided group, or to entice voters in the divided group to give their support to the opposing group. The use of wedge issues gives rise to wedge politics.
Political parties are usually fairly diverse groups though they will always try to project a united front. A wedge issue may often be a point of internal dissent within the opposing party, which that party tries to suppress or ignore talking about because it divides "the base. " Such issues are typically a cultural or populist issue, relating to matters such as crime, national security, sexuality (e. In the sociological field, crime is the breach of a rule or Law for which some governing authority or force may ultimately prescribe a Punishment National security is the entire scope of measures undertaken by the Governments of Nation-states in providing assurance of national Sovereignty g. gay marriage), or race. Same-sex marriage (also referred to as gay marriage) is a term for a legally or Socially recognized Marriage between two people of the same The term race or racial group usually refers to the concept of categorizing Humans into Populations or groups on the basis of various sets Another party may exploit this dissent by publicly supporting the issue, and in effect align itself with the dissenting faction of the opposing party. A wedge issue, when wielded against another party, is intended to bring about such things as:
- A debate, often vitriolic, within the opposing party, giving the public a perception of disarray.
- The defection of supporters of the opposing party's minority faction to the other party (or independent parties) if they lose the debate.
- The legitimising of sentiment which, while perhaps popularly held, is usually considered inappropriate or politically incorrect; criticisms from the opposition then make it appear beholden to special interests or fringe ideology. Political correctness (adjectivally politically correct; both forms commonly abbreviated to PC) is a term applied to Language, ideas policies or behavior
- In an extreme case, a wedge issue might contribute to the actual fracture of the opposing party as another party spins off, taking voters with it.
To prevent these three consequences from occurring, the opposing party may attempt to take a "pragmatic" stand and officially endorse the views of its minority faction. However, this can lead to the defection of supporters of the opposing party's majority faction to a third party, should they lose the debate.
Wedge politics in Australia: the Tampa incident
In Australia, "wedge politics" may sometimes be known as dog whistle politics, due to the practice of selective targeting so that only certain people will hear the message being pitched. This article is specifically about the use of "code words" in politics for the concept generally see Code word (figure of speech Dog-whistle
A case study of the use of wedge issues in practice comes from the 2001 federal election campaign in Australia. Year 2001 ( MMI) was a Common year starting on Monday according to the Gregorian calendar. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. In early and mid-2001, a great deal of public attention was focused on boat people (asylum seekers arriving on unauthorised vessels), there having been several widely publicised landings of hundreds of people. Boat people is a term that usually refers to Illegal immigrants or Asylum seekers who emigrate en masse in boats that are sometimes old and crudely made rendering On August 24, 2001, a ship illegally bearing 460 such people became distressed, and its passengers were picked up by the Norwegian cargo vessel MV Tampa. Events 49 BC - Julius Caesar 's General Gaius Scribonius Curio is defeated in the Second Battle of the Bagradas River Year 2001 ( MMI) was a Common year starting on Monday according to the Gregorian calendar. Norway ( Norwegian: Norge ( Bokmål) or Noreg ( Nynorsk) officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Constitutional The MV Tampa is a Norwegian Cargo ship. In August 2001 under Captain Arne Rinnan, a diplomatic dispute brewed between Australia
The governing Liberal Party of Australia took the opportunity to appear tough on asylum seekers. The Liberal Party of Australia is an Australian political party. The opposition Australian Labor Party (ALP) had a slight majority of people strongly favouring more sympathetic treatment, and was hence perceived as internally split. Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition, commonly known as The Opposition, in Australia fulfils the same function as the Official opposition This provoked a fierce debate within the ALP on the relative merits of siding with national opinion (in favour of the Government's actions) or standing on party principle (opposing). But with over 90% of some television polls supporting the government's stance, the leader of the ALP Kim Beazley chose to silence the majority and agree to the tougher policy--though it ended up opposing certain elements of proposed legislation, which the Liberal Party blasted as "weak on border security". For Kim Beazley's father Kim Beazley senior, see Kim Edward Beazley.
The damage was done, with the party appearing inconsistent and divided. The Liberal Party campaigned largely on a platform of border security and increased its support at the federal election that November despite being the incumbent. Federal elections were held in Australia on 10 November, 2001. Some who would typically vote Labor voted instead for the Greens and the Democrats in protest against what they saw as the ALP's complicity. The Australian Greens, commonly known as The Greens, is a Green Australian political party. The Australian Democrats is an Australian Political party espousing a centrist or Social liberal ideology
Wedge politics in the United States
Both the Republican and Democratic parties have been accused of using social issues as wedge issues to divide the opposing voting base. For example, some Republican strategists have hoped that African Americans, a traditionally Democratic voting bloc, yet also one that possesses some of the most conservative views on matters of homosexuality, may be more inclined to vote for the Republican Party because of their opposition to the gay marriage issue. African Americans or Black Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have origins in any of the black populations of Africa Likewise, Democratic strategists have hoped that the issue of stem cell research could be used as a wedge issue against the right, since some Republicans support the research while others are morally opposed to the use of embryonic cells in research.
Reform of the laws regarding illegal immigration to the United States operated as a wedge issue in 2007. Illegal immigration to the United States refers to the act of foreign nationals voluntarily resettling in the United States in violation of U Some Republican legislators, with the backing of President George W. Bush, sought to address the dual issues of ongoing illegal immigration to the United States and the illegal status of an estimated 12 million people currently living in America. Other Republicans bitterly opposed any "amnesty" for illegal immigrants, out of fear that their constituents were unsupportive of immigration reform. Some Democrats pitched in to keep the issue alive as they recognized the issue was deeply dividing the Republican party between advocates of reform and advocates of the status quo. The result was a bitter division in Republican ranks and a stalled bill in Congress; columnist Peggy Noonan wrote in January 2008 that President Bush had "destroyed the Republican Party, by which I mean he sundered it, broke its constituent pieces apart and set them against each other", by pushing immigration reform, as well as other wedge issues for the Republicans. Peggy Noonan (born Margaret Ellen Noonan on September 7, 1950, in Brooklyn New York) is an author of seven books on politics religion and culture [1]
Wedge politics in Canada
Social issues are often used as wedge issues in Canada in a very similar manner to how they are used in the United States. The Conservative Party has often brought up gay marriage because it is a matter of internal dissent in the opposing Liberal Party. The Conservatives have demanded free votes in the parliament on gay marriage and other social issues, as such votes may illustrate the divided nature of the Liberal caucus on such matters. A conscience vote or free vote is a type of vote in a legislative body where legislators are each expected to vote according to their own personal conscience rather
The Liberal Party, in turn, has frequently raised bilingualism and multiculturalism as issues that divide the Conservative Party base. The term multiculturalism generally refers to a state of racial, cultural and ethnic diversity within the Demographics of a specified Much of the Conservative Party's western base, in Alberta and British Columbia are not strongly supportive of such policies, though officially the CPC remains in favor. Alberta (ælˈbɝtə is one of Canada's prairie provinces. It became a province on September 1 1905 British Columbia (ˌbrɪtɨʃ kəˈlʌmbiə ( BC) ( (la Colombie-Britannique C
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